Which is much better and less infective peritoneal dialysis or kidney transplant?

please add the pros and cons of peritoneal dialysis and kidney transplant..patients undergoing such please help!

thank u for all ur answers it was very helpful..anyone who has friends or patients on any of the methods?

Peritoneal dialysis requires an implantable catheter into the abdominal cavity. Abdominal fluid is drained, dialyzed, then returned to the abdomen. Cared for properly, the rates of infection are generally low (but not zero!). Another form of dialysis is hemodialysis, which is performed by removing blood, cleaning it, and returning it to the patient. This can be accomplished by one of several implantable venous catheters or a surgical conduit (either an artificial graft or arterial-venous fistula). There is also a risk of infection, but generally lower than peritoneal dialysis. Both forms are generally well tolerated, but peritoneal dialysis is often performed more frequently (i.e. daily) than hemodialysis (3 times weekly). Also, patients may complain of fatigue after hemodialysis. Some countries prefer one form of dialysis over the other, usually due to cost or health care delivery reasons.

Kidney transplant is a major surgical procedure. Aside from the risks of the actual procedure, it requires life-long immunosupression to prevent organ rejection. These medications may have side effects (including increased risk of infections), and require periodic monitoring. One benefit is that after transplant, patients do not require regular dialysis treatments. This may be an important consideration in younger patients.

As always, consult your kidney specialist regarding the best treatment for you or your loved one.

kidney transplant is great for a lot of people. dialysis works good too. go with what your doctor reccommends.

It depends on what you would rather deal with - being on Dialysis, especially if the alternative is a transplant, sounds like it would be a life long thing. Most people have to get it 3 times a week for several hours a day. If that's fine with you and you wouldn't mind doing that for the rest of your life, I suppose you could forgo the surgery but that probably is the best option for you because it improves your quality of life.

Peritoneal dialysis is a method for removing waste substances from ur body, when the kidneys cannot do it properly.

A tube is inserted into the abdomen and fluid is drained off into a special plastic bag. As far as im aware it is carried out ~ 3 times per week (similar to other dialyis, which is removing impurities by filtering blood)

Pros are that it can be done at home/in the workplace etc after the patient has received full training. It is quite subtle and doesnt require much equipment.

Cons are you do have to be very careful to be very cleanly with the whole thing to avid infection, but maintain hygiene, using sterile tubes/bags etc and it can be done no problem.

I don't know too much about kidney transplant. however a successful transplant would means you would not need to carry out this dialysis as the kidneys would have enough function to do this themselves.

There is risk of infection, as there is with all surgery. there is also a risk that your body may reject the new organ.

Good luck to you, and listen to your doctors. Pester them with all the questions you wish.

Heres a link that may be of help, the national kidney foundation.

http://www.kidney.org/atoz/atozItem.cfm?...