Kidney failure is diagnosed when your kidneys are working at 15 percent or less of their usual capacity.
At this stage, their functions must be replaced, by transplant or, more often, by dialysis. Haemodialysis cleans the blood outside your body and can be done in the clinic or at home, while peritoneal dialysis uses your body's own peritoneal membrane as a filter and can be done anywhere suitable, either during the day, as continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis, or at night, as automated peritoneal dialysis.