Microcirculatory function in peritoneal dialysis V1(1)
Research type
Research Study
Full title
Microcirculatory function in peritoneal dialysis
IRAS ID
206098
Contact name
Mark Gilchrist
Contact email
Sponsor organisation
University of Exeter
Duration of Study in the UK
2 years, 4 months, 6 days
Research summary
For people with kidney failure the work of the kidneys is done by dialysis. Peritoneal dialysis is one form of dialysis that patients can do every day in their own home. A plastic tube placed surgically in the abdominal wall allows dialysis fluid to be drained into the abdominal cavity. Your body has toxins which are normally removed by the kidneys and also excess fluid it doesn’t need. In peritoneal dialysis these both pass through a natural membrane in the abdomen and go into the dialysis fluid. This is then drained out and discarded.
The speed at which the toxins leak across into the dialysis fluid varies in different people. Contrary to expectations, however, the quicker the toxins move across the membrane (fast transporters), the faster the peritoneal dialysis process fails.
We will do the research at the universities of Exeter and Cardiff. We will get help from specialist kidney doctors, nurses, and of course, patients on peritoneal dialysis.
Some patients are ‘fast transporters’. They have more complications from peritoneal dialysis. The techniques we are testing will let us check if these people have problems with ‘leaky’ blood vessels in the rest of their body.
The aim of this study is to increase our knowledge of how peritoneal dialysis works and fails. When peritoneal dialysis stops working patients have to change to a different form of dialysis. This is called haemodialysis. They have to be connected to a machine at the hospital three times a week. This has a big effect on their lifestyle and independence. We hope our work will eventually lead to treatments which will prolong the time patients can stay on peritoneal dialysis and maintain their quality of life and independence.REC name
East Midlands - Leicester Central Research Ethics Committee
REC reference
16/EM/0395
Date of REC Opinion
23 Sep 2016
REC opinion
Further Information Favourable Opinion