Abstracts of the 2021 Annual meeting of the ALEH (Asociación Latinoamericana para el Estudio del Hígado)
More infoPost paracentesis complications are correlated to a high morbidity and mortality rate in patients with a diagnosis of liver cirrhosis, among whom a high incidence of them has been observed after performing this procedure.
ObjectivesTo identify post paracentesis complications in patients diagnosed with liver cirrhosis in the Department of Internal Medicine of the Roosevelt Hospital from January 1 to December 31, 2018, Guatemala.
Population and MethodsCross-sectional descriptive study carried out in patients with a diagnosis of liver cirrhosis who had undergone decompressive / diagnostic paracentesis.
ResultsThe majority of patients were male (70%) with child pug C liver cirrhosis (71%) aged between 40 to 49 years of age (44%), with less than 1 year of diagnosis of liver cirrhosis (64%). Persistent leakage of ascites fluid from the puncture site was the most frequent complication (35%), followed by secondary bacterial peritonitis and hematoma of the abdominal wall at the puncture site (13% and 12% respectively). A third of the patients did not present any complications after the procedure (31%). Alteration in liver function tests (0.0001), decreased platelets and prolonged clotting times (0.001) presented a statistically significant relationship of greater probability of presenting some complication after the procedure, the bilirubin level did not present a statistically significant relationship for complications occur. (0.3). A third of the patients were indicated decompressive paracentesis (48%), of which a higher rate of complications was observed after the procedure (67%).
ConclusionsThe most frequent complication was the persistent leakage of ascites fluid. Hypoalbuminemia, coagulopathy, and platelet alteration correlate with a higher risk of complications.