Complications of peritoneal dialysis.

Peritoneal dialysis is an easily available therapeutic procedure. The complications noted in 490 dialyses over a six-year period in a university hospital have been reviewed. Seventeen major and 624 minor complications occurred. Only four deaths could be attributed to the procedure itself. Peritoneal dialysis is an effective procedure but one with a significant incidence of complications, though few of these are associated with mortality or morbidity for the patient. Various safeguards against these are discussed.