The dialysate is instilled into the abdominal cavity through a surgically tunneled catheter (Tenckhoff), which remains in place between sessions. Given the risk of peritonitis with an indwelling catheter, patients must be instructed to perform each exchange using sterile technique.

Several different schedules may be used. In continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD), approximately four exchanges are performed per day. During each session, 1.5 to 3 L of dialysate dwell in the peritoneal cavity for 6 hours. The patient must manually instill and then drain or remove the dialysate. In automated peritoneal dialysis (APD), 4 to 5 exchanges occur overnight. During each session, 1.5 to 3 L of dialysate dwell in the peritoneal cavity for 2 hours. In this case, a machine performs the exchanges. Continuous cyclic PD (CCPD) is a regimen in which 3 to 4 exchanges are performed automatically overnight, while 1 to 2 long dwell exchanges are performed manually during the day.