Automated peritoneal dialysis (APD)

Before commencing your APD therapy you will be required to set up your dialysis machine with the required equipment and dialysis solution bags, as prescribed by your healthcare team. You will be taught how to do this by a member of the nursing team. Every patient is different and your APD cycler’s program will be customised to your specific needs.

When you settle for bed for the night, you will connect the machine to your catheter (in your abdomen) via a tube from the cycler and in the morning, you will disconnect from your machine.

Preparing your home environment:

• The APD cycler is designed to suit most households. The cycler will not take up much room space, but you will need some storage space for your dialysis supplies.
• The APD cycler should be placed on a stable, clean and flat surface (e.g., a table or trolley) with an electrical outlet nearby for the operation of the cycler. If an internet-based patient monitoring system is part of your therapy management, you will also require an additional power point nearby for your modem.  Remote patient monitoring will allow your healthcare team to proactively identify problems and act early if required to avoid unplanned hospital or clinic visits.
• A best practice is to ensure that the door and windows are closed, and any fans are switched off, when connecting and disconnecting your PD catheter during APD. This helps to prevent potential dust and germs from entering your peritoneum.

Preparing APD accessories:

• Your healthcare team will advise you of any additional accessories (such as gauze, tapes and disinfection caps) that are needed for your APD treatment. More information will be shared before your training session so your APD treatment may begin smoothly.

If there are any issues during your treatment, your APD cycler will collect data related to this issue, which can then be reviewed by your clinician. The information your cycler sends to the clinic will help them decide on any changes to your treatment.

You can feel confident managing your treatment at home knowing that your clinician is able to track and adjust your treatment. You will still need to contact your clinician or cycler manufacturer to address urgent concerns during treatment.

Not all APD cyclers have remote patient monitoring capabilities, so be sure to talk to your clinician about whether remote patient monitoring fits into your treatment plan.

For the treatment to take place, you need to remain connected to your APD cycler. However, it is possible to temporarily disconnect from the machine if necessary (to go to the bathroom, for example). There is also sometimes longer tubing that allows you more freedom to move around while you are connected to the machine.

You will need to prepare your cycler each day and discard the used equipment after your treatment has finished. This time requirement will need to be factored into your schedule.