Abstract: 【Abstract】Objective To investigate the effectiveness and complications of automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) in inpatients requiring intensive dialysis therapy. Methods A total of 28 patients undergoing intensive APD treatment in the Nephrology Department of Drum Tower Clinical College of Nanjing Medical University from January 2016 to December 2017 were included in this retrospective study. Patients were divided into intermittent peritoneal dialysis group (IPD; n=19) and tidal peritoneal dialysis group (TPD; n=9) according to the APD modality. Results There were 40 intensive dialysis indications in the 28 APD patients;
volume overload (12 cases in IPD group and 5 cases in TPD group) was the most common indication for intensive dialysis in these patients, followed by hyperkalemia (5 cases in IPD group and 5 cases in TPD group), severe azotemia (4 cases in IPD group and 2 cases in TPD group), metabolic acidosis (3 cases in IPD group and one case in TPD group) and preoperative preparation (2 cases in IPD group and one case in TPD group). After APD treatment for 72 hours, body weight, type B natriuretic peptide, New York Heart Association (NYHA) heart function classification and serum potassium changed significantly (for IPD group: t=21.040, 20.069, 9.950 and 23.724 respectively, P＜0.001; for TPD group: t=7.785, 11.068, 6.832 and 10.424 respectively, P=0.001, ＜0.001, 0.003 and ＜0.001 respectively) in volume overload patients in both groups; gastrointestinal symptoms and mini nutritional assessment (MNA) score improved significantly (t=-27.000 and -16.202 respectively, P＜0.001) in patients with gastrointestinal symptoms (10 cases in IPD group and 7 cases in TPD group). No severe complications and no death of the patients occurred during the APD treatment. APD-related complications such as alerts of the cycler, perfusion/drainage pain, incision leakage; catheter dysfunction, hydrocele testis and hernia were not found. Conclusion APD can effectively and safely be used for intensive peritoneal dialysis patients who need to receive short-term and high dose dialysis treatment.

Key words: Automated peritoneal dialysis, Intermittent peritoneal dialysis, Tidal peritoneal dialysis, Inpatient, Intensive dialysis