Peritoneal Dialysate Glucose Unit Converter
Peritoneal Dialysate Glucose Unit Converter
Convert a peritoneal dialysis fluid’s glucose between per cent, g/L, mg/dL and mmol/L — and get the 9% that most conversions lose, because the percentage on the bag is dextrose monohydrate and the mmol/L is anhydrous glucose.
Dialysate glucose converter
Per cent ⇄ mmol/LA 1.5% dextrose bag — 1.36 g of anhydrous glucose per 100 mL
The conversion, and the monohydrate correction
mg/dL = g/dL × 1,000 (per cent w/v is g/dL)
anhydrous glucose = dextrose monohydrate × 0.909094
so 1.5% dextrose → 1.36% glucose → 75.5 mmol/L
- 180.156
- the molar mass of anhydrous glucose, C6H12O6, which is what a mmol/L figure counts and what the reference key for plasma glucose uses — the same 0.0555 factor as the plasma glucose converter
- 198.171
- the molar mass of dextrose monohydrate, C6H12O6·H2O, which is the substance weighed into the bag. The ratio 180.156 ÷ 198.171 = 0.909094 is the whole of the correction
- per cent
- a dialysis bag’s strength is per cent weight in volume, which is grams per 100 mL, which is g/dL. So the per-cent figure is already one column of the ladder above and needs no separate unit
- why both labels exist
- US labelling states dextrose hydrous (1.5%, 2.5%, 4.25%) and European labelling states anhydrous glucose (1.36%, 2.27%, 3.86%). They are the same three bags. Baxter’s own SmPC prints both for each strength, which is the published check this page is built on
Worked example
A 1.5% dextrose bag — 1.36 g of anhydrous glucose per 100 mL
1.36 g/dL = 1,360 mg/dL
1,360 × 0.0555074 = 75.5 mmol/L
The label route: 15.0 g/L of dextrose monohydrate × 0.909094 = 13.64 g/L of anhydrous glucose, which Baxter's SmPC prints as 13.6 g/L — the two agree
Taking the 1.5% at face value as glucose instead gives 1,500 × 0.0555074 = 83.3 mmol/L, which is 9.1% too high and is the commonest error on this conversion
For comparison: a plasma glucose of 5.5 mmol/L is 0.099 g/dL, so the weakest bag is about fourteen times plasma
The three common strengths, as both labels state them
| US label (dextrose) | EU label (glucose) | Monohydrate g/L | Anhydrous g/L | mmol/L | SmPC osmolarity |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5% | 1.36% | 15.0 | 13.6 | 75.5 | 344 mOsmol/L |
| 2.5% | 2.27% | 25.0 | 22.7 | 126.0 | 395 mOsmol/L |
| 4.25% | 3.86% | 42.5 | 38.6 | 214.3 | 483 mOsmol/L |
What the 9% error does to each strength
| Strength | Correct mmol/L | If the label per cent is read as glucose | Error |
|---|---|---|---|
| 1.5% / 1.36% | 75.5 | 83.3 | +10.3% |
| 2.5% / 2.27% | 126.0 | 138.8 | +10.1% |
| 4.25% / 3.86% | 214.3 | 235.9 | +10.1% |
Why one bag has two percentages
Peritoneal dialysis works by putting a hypertonic solution into the peritoneal cavity and letting water follow the osmotic gradient. Glucose is the osmotic agent in most solutions, and the strength printed on the bag is what sets the ultrafiltration. So the number matters clinically, and it is written two different ways in two different places.
What is weighed into the bag is dextrose monohydrate — glucose crystallised with one water molecule per glucose, C6H12O6·H2O, 198.171 Da. US labelling states the concentration of that substance: 1.5%, 2.5% and 4.25% dextrose hydrous. European labelling states the concentration of the glucose itself, with the water of crystallisation excluded: 1.36%, 2.27% and 3.86%. The two figures describe the same three bags, and the ratio between them is just the mass ratio of glucose to its monohydrate, 180.156 ÷ 198.171, which is 0.9091. Baxter’s Physioneal SmPC prints both numbers side by side for each strength, which is why this is a checkable fact rather than an inference.
It matters whenever the strength is converted to mmol/L, because a millimole of glucose is a millimole of glucose and the water of crystallisation is not part of it. Divide 1.5 g/dL by glucose’s molar mass and you get 83 mmol/L; divide the 1.36 that is actually there and you get 75.5. The error is about 9% at every strength and always upward. It propagates into calculations of the glucose load absorbed per exchange, which is a real clinical quantity — a substantial fraction of the dialysate glucose crosses the membrane, contributing calories, worsening glycaemic control in diabetes and driving hypertriglyceridaemia.
None of this is a reference interval. There is no normal dialysate glucose; the strength is prescribed. What the conversion is for is comparing a prescription with a plasma glucose in the same units, estimating the load delivered, and reading a European and a US label as the same thing. There is no reference interval for a prescribed fluid, and the figures here are product-label figures rather than measurements: formulations differ between manufacturers and between markets, so the label on the bag in use takes precedence over any figure on this page.
Frequently asked questions
Is 1.5% dextrose the same as 1.36% glucose?
Yes — they are the same bag. The 1.5% refers to dextrose monohydrate, which carries a water molecule per glucose, and the 1.36% refers to the anhydrous glucose inside it. Multiply a monohydrate figure by 0.909094 to get the glucose figure. The same pairing gives 2.5% / 2.27% and 4.25% / 3.86%.
How many mmol/L of glucose is a 1.5% bag?
75.5 mmol/L. Take the anhydrous figure, 1.36 g/dL, which is 1,360 mg/dL, and multiply by 0.0555074. The commonly quoted 83 mmol/L comes from using the 1.5% label figure as though it were glucose, and is 9.1% too high.
What are the mmol/L figures for the three standard strengths?
Using the anhydrous glucose on each label: 1.5% gives 75.5 mmol/L , 2.5% gives 126.0 mmol/L , 4.25% gives 214.3 mmol/L. The osmolarities Baxter publishes for the corresponding Physioneal solutions are 344, 395 and 483 mOsmol/L, which include the electrolytes as well as the glucose.
Why does this conversion matter if the strength is prescribed anyway?
Because the glucose load absorbed per exchange is calculated from it, and that load is clinically real — it contributes calories, worsens glycaemic control in diabetes and drives hypertriglyceridaemia. A 9% overstatement of the dialysate glucose carries straight into those estimates.
Does this page apply to icodextrin or amino acid solutions?
No. Icodextrin is a glucose polymer that works by colloid osmosis and is labelled 7.5% icodextrin, not glucose; converting that per cent with glucose’s molar mass is meaningless. Amino acid solutions contain no glucose at all. This page is for glucose-based solutions only.
Related calculators
References
- Baxter. Physioneal 40 Glucose Clear-Flex solution for peritoneal dialysis — Summary of Product Characteristics. Swedish Medical Products Agency. Glucose monohydrate 15.0, 25.0 and 42.5 g/L equivalent to anhydrous glucose 13.6, 22.7 and 38.6 g/L; osmolarity 344, 395 and 483 mOsmol/L. Accessed October 2026.
- Baxter Healthcare. Dianeal PD-2 Peritoneal Dialysis Solution with Dextrose, US prescribing information: 1.5%, 2.5% and 4.25% dextrose. Accessed October 2026.
- Human Metabolome Database. HMDB0000122 — D-glucose. C6H12O6, average mass 180.1559.
- Commission on Isotopic Abundances and Atomic Weights (IUPAC). Standard Atomic Weights, 2021. Used to re-derive every molecular weight from its formula.
Not medical advice. For healthcare professionals and education. Reference intervals vary by laboratory and assay — always use your own laboratory's. Never base a dose or a treatment decision on this page alone. Full disclaimer at calcengines.com/disclaimer/