Peritoneal Dialysis Pilot Study: Evaluating Polyethylene Glycol (PEG) for Constipation
Status:
Unknown status
Trial end date:
2018-02-01
Target enrollment:
Participant gender:
Summary
Constipation is a common condition, which occurs one in four Canadians. Maintaining regular
bowel movements is imperative because constipation can affect the quality of PD dialysate
flow and result in an unwanted effect on the dialysis adequacy.
There is limited data on how to best manage constipation in the peritoneal dialysis
population. Polyethylene glycol (PEG) is an osmotic laxative that is becoming popular for
prevention and treatment of constipation across Canada. Although some PD programs in Canada
have already converted to PEG for management of constipation, more research in this
population would help guide practice. For now, the current PD bowel regimen at the Nova
Scotia Health Authority (NSHA) includes daily preventative therapy using a stimulant
laxative, senna, along with an osmotic laxative, lactulose, for acute constipation.
The investigators will review all patients in the NSHA PD program who have regular or recent
laxative use for participation in this study. Patients included in this study will be
randomly assigned to the Current Bowel Protocol or the PEG Bowel Protocol for 8 weeks.
The goal is to determine if the PEG Bowel Protocol is as effective and safe for the
prevention of constipation as the Current Bowel Protocol used in the PD Program. The
investigators will use bowel function diaries and patient surveys to determine efficacy and
safety outcomes.