Nutrition aspects of continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis: a review

Continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) is an increasingly popular alternative to hemodialysis. Nutrition practitioners in the in- and outpatient setting must be knowledgeable about specific nutritional considerations in these patients. In this paper, we briefly review factors which play a role in the malnutrition often encountered in end-stage renal disease, and focus on metabolic abnormalities, nutritional requirements, and nutritional assessment of patients undergoing CAPD. Urea kinetic modeling as an adjunct to nutritional assessment is explained in detail.