Comparison of sodium nitroprusside added peritoneal dialysis and standard haemodialysis.

Thirty patients of acute or acute on chronic renal failure (ACRF) were randomly divided into two group of 15 cases each. Group A patients received 36 cycles of intermittent peritoneal dialysis (PD) with an exchange volume of one litre and duration of one hour per cycle. The 36 cycles of PD were divided into 12 clearance periods of 3 cycles each. Sodium Nitroprusside (SNP) was added in a dose of 4 mg/litre of dialysate in alternate clearance periods. Group B patients were given 4 hours of haemodialysis (HD) to compare the efficacy of two modes of dialysis. Symptomatic relief was observed in various uraemic signs and symptoms like vomiting, level of consciousness, fluid overload, hiccough and asterexis in most of the patients in both the groups. The percentage fall in blood urea and serum creatinine was 57.02 Vs 58.04 mg% and 46.9 Vs 47.8 mg% in group A and B respectively (P 70.5 each). Total dialysate urea removal following PD and HD was 118.8 +/- 57.3 gm and 98.5 +/- 37.0 gm respectively and also there was no significant difference in total creatinine removal. No untoward effects were observed with PD. However, following HD, 5 patients developed hypotension, supraventricular tachycardia was observed in one and disequilibrium syndrome in 8 of them. Therefore, it can be concluded that SNP added PD is comparable to 4 hours of haemodialysis both clinically as well as biochemically and in situations where facilities for HD do not exist or it is contraindicated, PD may be preferred mode of therapy.