This safe access to the abdomen for peritoneal dialysis is provided by a catheter. Originally, metal cannulae were used to gain access to the abdominal cavity, but were replaced by stomach and oxygen tubes later on. In 1952, Arthur Grollman from Southwestern Medical School in Dallas developed a catheter that would make peritoneal dialysis treatments accessible for patients with chronic kidney failure. Grollman used a one liter container with a cap to which a plastic tube was attached. His revolutionary idea was to use a flexible catheter rather than a stiff tube, as had been the case in the past. In addition, the tip of the catheter remaining in the abdominal cavity had several small holes to allow an optimal inflow and outflow of dialysis solution.

Against the backdrop of the Korean War, the American Paul Doolan developed a catheter for long-term use in 1959. It was made of polyethylene and had a unique geometry of the holes to prevent clogging, while maximizing the flow rate. Richard Ruben, another American, performed the first peritoneal dialysis over a period of seven months, using the Doolan catheter as well as a permanent catheter that could remain in the abdominal cavity. This shows that researchers were not just intending to treat patients with acute illnesses but also patients with chronic kidney failure.

In 1968, the American Henry Tenckhoff developed the catheter named after him. Up until then, the widely used stylet catheter had already made it possible to treat patients with chronic kidney failure using peritoneal disease. However, the “repeated puncture technique” meant placing a new catheter in the abdominal cavity for each treatment. This time-consuming procedure bothered both medical personnel and patients. Tenckhoff himself had the thankless job of setting catheters in patients on weekends. So his permanent catheter not only provided him with more spare time, but also proved to be instrumental in the wide acceptance of peritoneal dialysis. The Tenckhoff catheter is still in use today. Made from silicone, it has one or two cuffs which help the catheter to grow into the peritoneum as well as into deeper layers of connective tissue.