Telemedicine and remote patient monitoring are innovative tools to provide remote transmission, interpretation, and storage of data for review by the care team. These tools allow for accurate home monitoring of patients enabling the team to improve care through prevention and early identification of problems. This book is structured into four main parts. The first describes the evolution of peritoneal dialysis and related technology. The second part summarizes current unmet clinical needs reported by patients and care teams, the need for innovation in the field, and the technical and clinical issues involved with the modern management of peritoneal dialysis. The third section presents the operational characteristics of the new information communication technology system and, in detail, the features of the Sharesource platform. Finally, a series of field experiences by expert users are reported to describe the benefits and the potential applications of remote patient monitoring in the future. Telemedicine and remote patient monitoring have proven to be useful in the care of patients on peritoneal dialysis. The scope of this publication, therefore, is to present the experiences of clinical key opinion leaders who have been using the application.

Even though peritoneal dialysis (PD) is by now well established and its advantages in terms of clinical efficacy, social impact and individual tolerance are acknowledged, it is still underutilized on a global scale. In view of this fact, the publication at hand has two objectives, namely to provide help to identify possible obstacles to a wider application of PD and to advance a project called USS PD: Understanding, Starting and Sustaining Peritoneal Dialysis (initiated by the Department of Nephrology, Dialysis and Transplantation of the St. Bortolo Hospital in Vicenza, Italy).The initial part of this book is thus dedicated to basic principles of PD, as understanding how this technique works is one of the prerequisites to improve the quality of its application and, ultimately, its outcomes. In the second part, in-depth reviews help the physician to identify the benefits and problems involved in a PD program, facilitating the initiation of a new program or the start of new patients on PD. The third part, finally, is dedicated to potential complications and technical solutions designed to solve the problems of the different techniques. This helps physicians to sustain the use of PD after having acquired the know how and the capacity of starting the program. Everyone interested in understanding and implementing PD will highly profit from the papers presented in this publication.

This publication contains the most recent findings in the field as presented by the outstanding faculty of the 2012 International Vicenza Course on Peritoneal Dialysis. After 30 years, this course is still one of the main educational events in the field of peritoneal dialysis as well as other disciplines including CKD, hemodialysis and critical care nephrology. The publication of the book in time for the course represents another success of the Vicenza team. The experts of the world and the related industry met in Vicenza for this important anniversary which is celebrated by this book representing not only a milestone in the history of the Department of Nephrology and the International Renal Research Institute of Vicenza, but also and above all an extraordinary educational tool for all physicians and nurses interested in peritoneal dialysis today.

In 1986 the first edition of Continuous Ambulatory Peritoneal Dialysis, edited by R. Gokal, was published. In 1989 the third edition of Peritoneal Dialysis, edited by K.D. Nolph, was published. Both books were widely recognized for their comprehensive discussion of this particular field. Rather than edit new editions of each of these books separately, two of the most prominent figures in this field have decided to combine their knowledge and enthusiasm in this single book: The Textbook of Peritoneal Dialysis. The book is unique in its detailed discussion of a complete range of topics, including new advances in our understanding of the physiology of peritoneal dialysis, peritoneal dialysis kinetics, clinical results and a chapter dealing with the concepts of intraperitoneal chemotherapy. These examples of the dynamic nature of the field further illustrate the importance of this textbook, and make it required reading for everybody working within the field of peritoneal dialysis.

The Final Report of the USA CAPO Registry summarizes eight years of observation and analysis that reflects the experiences of 485 clinical centers and over 25,000 CAPO patients. As such, it offers a wealth of information, available here for the first time to interested parties around the world. Because the National Institutes of Health was quick to see the potential of CAPO as a promising therapy for patients with end stage renal disease, the Registry project was begun soon after its introduction into clinical practice in the USA. Accordingly, the Registry offered the nephrology community in the United States a special opportunity to study this emerging new therapy in some detail, an opportunity not previously available for any other form of dialysis. As will be seen in this report, the result of this early and intensive research effort has been the development of a vast amount of clinically important information regarding the utilization, safety, and efficacy of this important dialytic therapy.

Thoroughly revised and updated for its Sixth Edition, this handbook is a practical, easily accessible guide to nutritional management of patients with acute and chronic renal diseases. Leading international experts present state-of-the-art information on these patients' nutritional requirements and offer dietary recommendations, with menus and lists of supplements to enhance patient compliance. Numerous tables and figures enable readers to find essential information quickly. This edition includes new chapters on the dietary approach to treating patients with kidney stones and hypertension, as well as on obesity and physical activity as they relate to patients with kidney disease.