In this study, Recirculation
Peritoneal Dialysis (RPD) apparatus using a pump to circulate the
dialysate was devised and its dialysis efficiency was investigated. In the experiment, 15 mongrel dogs with
body weights of 6.6 +/- 0.7 kg were used. The surgery to induce
azotemia was performed on the dogs, a disk
catheter for drainage was placed between the liver and diaphragm, and a straight
catheter for infusion was placed on the abdominal side of the bladder. RPD was conducted using 2 l of
dialysate containing 1.3%
glucose, and the
dialysate was circulated by a pump through the peritoneal cavity and the
dialysate chamber at the circulation rates of 30, 60, 90 and 120 ml/min. RPD was conducted for 3 hr and the clearances of
urea nitrogen,
creatinine, inorganic
phosphorus and
potassium were recorded every hour. The clearances in RPD became higher with an increase in the circulation rate. Although RPD requires two
catheters in the peritoneal cavity, it has no appreciable technical difficulty in handling and is considered to be easier than
hemodialysis. RPD enabled higher dialysis efficiency to be achieved in a short time compared with conventional
peritoneal dialysis. It seems reasonable to conclude that RPD is a useful new dialysis technique for animals.