Complementary use of peritoneal and hemodialysis: therapeutic synergies in the treatment of end-stage renal failure patients

Abstract

The simultaneous use of peritoneal dialysis (PD) and hemodialysis therapy has been studied both in established PD patients who are experiencing problems with their dialysis treatment that might otherwise prompt a change in modality, and in patients new to dialysis. The application of combination therapy allows in incident patients a partial separation of solute clearance and ultrafiltration, optimizing each modality within that overall delivery. This article discusses the published experience of combination treatment, and considers the possible benefits of such an approach.