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What Is Peritoneal Dialysis?

Peritoneal dialysis is a medical treatment that uses the lining of the belly as a natural filter to take waste and extra water out of the blood. It can take over this job when the kidneys can't do it.

Why Do People Need Peritoneal Dialysis?

The main job of the kidneys is to clean the blood. They take out extra water and waste (things the body doesn't need). These leave the body as pee (urine).

When the kidneys don't work as they should, waste quickly builds up in the body and makes a person sick. When the kidneys stop removing enough waste and extra water from the blood, the person has kidney failure. Then, the person needs dialysis to clean the blood because the kidneys can't.