Washing with PD exit site?

Any suggestions about exit site waterproof cover to enable an occasional shower

Hi Guest,
Most people don’t have to put a waterproof cover over a PD catheter to take a shower. They just shower as usual, dry off carefully, and then do exit site care as taught. You might also ask this question of Judith Bernardini, our expert PD nurse in our Expert boards. She could tell you how folks at her clinic are advised to shower.

If you IMMERSE your PD catheter in water–to, say, swim–then you would need a waterproof covering. Some people use Tegaderm for this, others use ostomy bags. You want to avoid having your catheter sit in water from the ocean, a lake, a bathtub or hot tub, or a public swimming pool, because the germs in the water could give you an infection. Some clinics allow swimming with a PD catheter in a private, chlorinated pool, others still don’t think this is wise.