Background: Research surrounding COVID-19 (coronavirus disease 2019) is rapidly increasing, including the study of biomarkers for predicting outcomes. There is little data examining the correlation between serum albumin levels and COVID-19 disease severity. The purpose of this study is to evaluate whether admission albumin levels reliably predict outcomes in COVID-19 patients. Methods: We retrospectively reviewed [...]

Background: Therapeutic paracentesis is a common procedure performed to relieve symptoms of ascites most commonly from cirrhosis, heart failure or malignancy. Previous studies have shown that acute kidney injury (AKI) is common after paracentesis and portends a poor prognosis, although these studies have excluded patients with pre-existing chronic kidney disease (CKD). Experiences in our hospital [...]