[Justification of routine puncture of ascites in cirrhotic patients admitted to emergency hospital units].

OBJECTIVES: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a frequent, serious, recurrent complication, occurring in 10 to 30% of cirrhotic patients hospitalized with ascites. The key to diagnosis of SBP is ascites paracentesis and polymorphonuclear count in ascitic fluid. The purpose of our study was to evaluate sensitivity and specificity of clinical and biological criteria in diagnosis of 5 BP.

METHODS: We prospectively reviewed 30 adult cirrhotic patients admitted in our emergency department with ascites. Ascites paracentesis was performed in each patient, and SBP diagnosis was based on either positive bacteriological culture or polymorphonuclear count above 250/mm3 in ascitic fluid. Classical criteria for SBP were recorded: blood pressure under 90 mm of Hg, abdominal pain, temperature above 38.5 or under 36.5, jaundice, encephalopathy, increased serum bilirubin or creatinine, leukocyte blood count about 12 G/l. We evaluated sensitivity and specificity of those criteria in SBP, and compared their frequency in patients with SBP or sterile ascitic fluid.

RESULTS: Thirty patients were included in our series, and in 14 of them a SBP was diagnosed. A significant difference was observed between spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and sterile ascitic fluid for abdominal pain and temperature abnormalities, but specificity and sensitivity of these criteria were very low. Moreover, SBP was asymptomatic in 7%.

CONCLUSION: Due to the high rate of mortality in patients with SBP we recommend diagnostic procedures for this frequent complication as soon as patient is admitted in emergency department. This diagnosis must be based on ascitic fluid paracentesis, which has to be performed, in the emergency department, in every cirrhotic patient admitted with ascites. Indeed, SBP is often asymptomatic, and no clinical or bacteriological criteria can be considered as completely reliable for the diagnosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis.