What type of dialysis access procedure is necessary for peritoneal dialysis?
Surgeons must place a long silicone-based tube called a Tenckhoff catheter into the abdomen before peritoneal dialysis can begin. The surgeon in the operating room positions the tube using a local anesthetic and IV sedation. Making a small incision in your abdomen, the surgeon advances the tube deep into the lower part of your peritoneal cavity (the membrane lining the inside of the abdomen), tunnels the tube under the skin for several inches, brings the tube up through the skin at a different location, and then surgically closes the initial incision. A sterile dressing covers the catheter that remains outside of the body. Tunneling the catheter reduces the likelihood of infection in the peritoneal cavity. You may be allowed to go home the same day of surgery. Peritoneal dialysis can begin when the incisions heal, usually about 2 to 4 weeks after the access surgery.
