Chennai: The healthcare ecosystem continues to battle the Covid-19 outbreak, as different parts of the country draw out unlock strategies. However, it has not been a smooth ride for non-Covid patients, especially those with Chronic Kidney Disease (CKD).
According to a study, there are around 0.2 million kidney disease patients in India who require a total of 34 million dialysis sessions every year.
Owing to mobility restrictions, it is important for kidney patients to really consider a lifestyle changing treatment and adoption of an alternative, more convenient way of carrying out therapies, such as home-based dialysis or Peritoneal Dialysis (PD).
It is a form of standard dialysis therapy, which uses the peritoneum in a patientsā abdomen as the membrane through which fluid and dissolved substances are exchanged with the blood. It is a convenient, home-based procedure which can be done by the patient following basic training and hygiene guidelines. Peritoneal Dialysis is of two types, Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis (CAPD) and Automated Peritoneal Dialysis (APD). CAPD involves manual fluid exchanges 3-4 times a day, whereas, APD a more preferred option is performed at night with the assistance of mechanical devices.
PD should become a preferred choice of treatment therapy for many patients for its various advantages. Infact, now, with the deployment of IT-enabled patient monitoring systems or Remote Patient Management (RPM), homecare treatment such as PD is being embraced more than ever to aid both doctors and patients. This would not just help manage the disease better but also improve the overall quality of a patientās life.