continuous ambulatory peritoneal dialysis (CAPD) /kəntin″yo̅o̅·əs/ [L, continuare, to unite, ambulare, to walk about; Gk, peri, near, tenein, to stretch, dia, through, lysis, loosening] , a maintenance system of peritoneal dialysis in which an indwelling catheter permits fluid to drain into and out of the peritoneal cavity by gravity.
