Low-volume supine peritoneal dialysis in a chronic obstructive airway disease patient

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) may not be tolerated by patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) because of increased abdominal pressure in the standing position after instillation of peritoneal fluid. We report, here, a patient with COPD who had marked distress while on CAPD but was more comfortable with supine intermittent peritoneal dialysis. It is probable that the continuous high intraperitoneal pressure during CAPD caused diaphragmatic fatigue. During intermittent peritoneal dialysis, the supine position induces the least increase in intraperitoneal pressure; it may be the preferred mode of peritoneal dialysis for patients with COPD.