Effective peritoneal blood flow (EPBF) and patient characteristics.

The aim of these studies was a comparison of effective peritoneal blood flow (EPBF) during intermittent peritoneal dialysis (IPD) in uremic patients with varying primary renal disease, sex, age, body weight, and IPD duration. EPBF was estimated by calculation of diffusive mass transfer coefficient (KBD) of carbon dioxide at 2.5 min dwell of 1.5% glucose dialysis solution (2 L). EPBF estimated during IPD in 21 patients was a mean of flow rates obtained in each patient at the beginning, in the middle, and at the end of 1-2 dialyses. Our results suggest that EPBF during IPD is not significantly dependent on primary renal disease, sex, age, and body weight, nor does it change during the first few months of IPD.