Pancreatitis causes brownish-black peritoneal dialysate due to the presence of methaemalbumin.

Two patients treated with continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis had striking brownish-black coloured peritoneal dialysate concomitant with underlying pancreatitis. Examination of the second patient's dialysate by recording spectrophotometry showed the discoloration to be due to methaemalbumin. Haemorrhagic pancreatitis, by releasing proteolytic enzymes and perhaps by using the lesser sac as an anatomical cul-de-sac for chemical reaction, provides a suitable milieu for the production of methaemalbumin from red blood cells in dialysate.