Background: Paracentesis is a common procedure for patients with decompensated cirrhosis. In patients with cirrhosis and superimposed renal impairment, clinicians may hesitate to perform a large volume paracentesis, given concerns of intraabdominal fluid shifts resulting in further renal dysfunction. In this study, we aimed to answer whether greater ascites fluid removal was associated with 48-hour [...]

Case Presentation: A 64-year-old female with decompensated alcoholic liver cirrhosis was admitted to the hospital for lower abdominal pain. The initial paracentesis polymorphonuclear (PMN) leukocyte count was 149 cells/mm3, but the patient was found to have E. coli urinary tract infection. During the course of her treatment, the patient developed pancreatitis and her hepatic encephalopathy [...]

Case Presentation: A 41 year old female from Haiti with a history of uterine fibroids and menorrhagia presents to the emergency room with subacute abdominal distension. A CT shows moderate ascites with peritoneal enhancement and infiltration of mesenteric fat by soft tissue densities suggestive of omental caking, thus favoring peritoneal carcinomatosis versus peritonitis. Serum CA-125 [...]

Case Presentation: A 29-year-old male with a history of HIV/AIDs on antiretroviral therapy (ART), prior cryptococcal meningitis, and mycobacterium avium complex (MAC) colitis presented to the ED with a three-week history of worsening abdominal pain and distension. His MAC colitis was diagnosed earlier that year and treated with clarithromycin and ethambutol. However, the ethambutol was [...]