Outpatient evaluation of dietary intake and nitrogen removal in continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis

Five patients on continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis were studied to evaluate dietary intake, glucose absorption from the dialysate, and urinary and dialysate nitrogen removal. The study was done on an outpatient basis, while the patients ingested their usual diets and went about their usual activities. The results indicate that patients greatly overestimated their caloric and protein intake, which was 0.71 to 0.96 g/kg bodyweight per day. Dialysate glucose contributed considerably to total caloric intake, because approximately 75% of of the dialysate glucose was absorbed independent from total glucose administered, providing 20% to 29% of the total caloric intake. We concluded that protein requirement in clinically stable continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis patients still needs defining because the patients may be anabolic with lower protein intakes than previously recommended.