This paper assesses the variation in total drainage time (TDT) and number of alarms due to low drainage volume (LDV) in automated peritoneal dialysis (APD) patients with varying catheter performance. Catheter performance was measured by drainage break point (DBP) in a supine position. Six patients with DBP > or = 80% underwent three types of APD: non tidal, 50% tidal, and 80% tidal. Six patients with DBP < 70% underwent two types of APD: non tidal and tidal fixed at 5% below DBP. In every case, the fill volume was 2.3 L. For the purpose of the study, each treatment was continued for seven consecutive nights. Home Choice Pro (Baxter Healthcare Corporation, Deerfield, Illinois, U.S.A.) was used to calculate the TDT and LDV. With both the non tidal and tidal treatments, TDT was higher in patients with DBP < 70% as compared with patients with DBP > or = 80%. In the latter group, 50% tidal was the most effective technique in reducing TDT. In patients with DBP < 70%, the tidal treatment reduced not only TDT, but also LDV alarms, as compared to the non tidal treatment. In conclusion, choosing the tidal method helps to reduce LDV alarms and TDT, especially in patients with a low DBP. The Home Choice Pro device is an effective aid in setting up and assessing the dialytic prescription.