Peritoneal Dialysis during Active War

Abstract

Armed conflict jeopardizes patient care through shortages in vital medical supplies. When health care resources are both scarce and not secure, ethically justified principles of action are required to continue the treatment of patients. Although literature exists on the allocation and treatment decisions for military health care workers and warfighters, scarce literature exist for the use of available resources for civilians living within war zones. Chronic or acute kidney disease patients requiring replacement therapies are among the most vulnerable patient population in this regard. In this article, we discuss the use of peritoneal dialysis treatment for both acute and chronic kidney disease patients during war times.

Keywords: Peritoneal dialysis; acute kidney injury; armed conflict; chronic kidney disease; disaster.