Peritoneal dialysis – cleaning of blood by the peritoneum
There are two types of dialysis: peritoneal dialysis is one of them.
This is the chemical cleaning of blood, performed internally, so blood does not leave the body.
Peritoneal relates to the peritoneum, which is the lining of a person’s abdominal cavity, or sac. This cavity contains a number of organs including the stomach, small intestine, large intestine, liver, gall bladder, pancreas and spleen.
The peritoneum is a membrane that is rich in blood vessels. These work as a natural filter for dialysis when a special fluid – the dialysate – is placed into the abdominal cavity via a catheter – a plastic tube.
A girl had a pair of toenails (peritoneal) that were so dirty she had to dial her sis (dialysis) for her to come and wash them clean with a chemical solution.
