New perspectives in peritoneal dialysis fluids

AbstractPeritoneal dialysis (PD) has been used for nearly 30 years as an effective treatment for end-stage renal disease. During this period, there was a lot of improvement in the delivery system but there was not much change in the composition of the dialysis solutions. There was increasing evidence showing that the conventional PD solutions were bioincompatible. They adversely affect the peritoneal immune system and make patients more prone to peritonitis. In addition, chronic exposure to such solutions may lead to continuous peritoneal damage. All these factors are harmful to the peritoneal membrane and impair its function as a dialysis membrane. There are now more attention being paid to look for an ideal biocompatible PD fluid. The potential areas for improvement are the buffer and osmotic agent, the ionic composition of the fluids, additives to the fluids and gene therapy