Background: The latest guidelines on parapneumonic effusion (PPE) management1 recommend immediate evaluation of PPE with ultrasound. Recognizing that bedside procedure services (BPSs) staffed with procedural hospitalists (proceduralists) are becoming the first point of ultrasound contact for many patients admitted with PPE our study sought to demonstrate that proceduralists can reliably agree with radiologists (viewed as [...]

Background: Patients with cirrhosis complicated by ascites are often admitted to the hospital and require abdominal paracentesis for diagnostic evaluation and symptom relief. When large volumes are removed there is a risk for acute kidney injury (AKI) which can contribute to morbidity and mortality. There are no clear guidelines for what constitutes a safe volume [...]

Background: Diagnosis of complications is important for patient care, diagnostic quality, and safety. Paracentesis is a common procedure among hospitalized patients. The use of ultrasound decreases complications and improves safety. We aimed to characterize the complication rate observed among paracenteses performed by a hospital medicine bedside procedures service (MPS) before and after a transition to [...]