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Query: UMLS:C0035078 (renal failure)
 31,970 document(s) hit in 31,850,051 MEDLINE articles (0.00 seconds)

Cirrhotic patients frequently develop ascites during the course of their disease. The appearance of ascites is the final consequence of profound disturbances in systemic and splanchnic haemodynamics, and in renal and hormonal function. The alterations in renal function consist of a decreased ability to excrete sodium and water, and in more severe cases, a reduction in renal blood flow and glomerular filtration rate. No effective drug therapy is yet available for water retention and renal failure in these patients. Sodium retention, however, may be treated by the administration of diuretics. The diuretics most commonly used in the treatment of cirrhotic patients with ascites are loop diuretics, particularly furosemide (frusemide), and distal, or 'potassium-sparing' diuretics such as spironolactone. Although furosemide has a much greater natriuretic potency than spironolactone in healthy individuals, studies in cirrhotic patients with ascites have shown that spironolactone is more effective than furosemide in the elimination of ascites. Nowadays, however, therapeutic paracentesis associated with plasma expanders has replaced diuretic therapy as the initial treatment for cirrhotic patients hospitalised with tense ascites since it is more effective and is associated with a lower rate of complications than diuretic therapy. Diuretics should be given after the elimination of ascites by paracentesis to avoid the reaccumulation of the abdominal fluid. Only cirrhotic patients with mild ascites should be treated initially with diuretics. Cirrhotic patients with ascites frequently develop a spontaneous infection of the ascitic fluid which is usually caused by Gram-negative bacilli from enteric origin and has a great tendency to recur after therapy. The antibiotics of choice for this infection are third-generation cephalosporins. Long term administration of norfloxacin, which causes a selective elimination of Gram-negative bacilli from the intestinal flora, is effective in preventing the recurrence of ascites infection in these patients. Finally, cirrhotic patients with ascites are prone to develop renal failure when treated with a variety of pharmacological agents, particularly aminoglycosides and nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs. The administration of the latter drugs may also cause dilutional hyponatraemia and refractory ascites since they induce water retention and impair the renal response to diuretics.
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PMID:Pharmacotherapy of ascites associated with cirrhosis. 137 17

Forty-one patients with cirrhosis and tense ascites were randomized to receive daily paracentesis of 5 liters associated with Dextran 70 as volume expander (6 g for each 1000 ml of ascites removed) (group I = 20 patients) or paracentesis with albumin (6 g for each 1000 ml of ascites) (group II = 21 patients). The basal clinical features, laboratory data, and plasma renin activity were similar in both groups. The volume of ascites removed was 12.9 +/- 4.4 and 10.9 +/- 3.7 liters in group I and II, respectively (n.s.). No significant changes were observed in liver and renal function tests, KPTT, platelet count, factor VIII, serum electrolytes or plasma renin activity 24 and 96 h after the last paracentesis in both groups, except for a decrease in bilirubin in group I and a transient increase of serum albumin in group II. Four patients developed complications in each group, mainly hyponatremia, while one patient in each group developed renal impairment. One patient from group I died with hepatic encephalopathy. Moreover, the probability of survival and readmission to the hospital because of tense ascites were similar in both groups of patients during the follow-up. The treatment cost with Dextran 70 was 15.50 dollars vs. 364.30 dollars with albumin for each patient treated. These results indicate that repeated large volume paracentesis associated with Dextran 70 is as effective and safe as paracentesis associated with albumin in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites. However, due to its reduced cost, paracentesis with Dextran 70 may be considered the treatment of choice in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites without liver cancer and renal failure.
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PMID:Paracentesis with Dextran 70 vs. paracentesis with albumin in cirrhosis with tense ascites. Results of a randomized study. 138 24

To investigate whether albumin can be substituted by less expensive plasma expanders in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites treated with total paracentesis, 88 patients (16 with renal failure) submitted to this therapeutic procedure were randomly assigned to receive IV albumin (43 patients) or dextran-70. Both substances were given at a dose of 8 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. Patients were discharged from the hospital with diuretics, and cases developing tense ascites during follow-up were treated according to their initial schedule. Total paracentesis was effective in eliminating the ascites in all but two cases in each group. Neither paracentesis plus IV albumin infusion nor paracentesis plus IV dextran-70 infusion was associated with significant changes in renal and hepatic function or serum electrolytes. The incidence of renal impairment (one case in each group), hyponatremia (three and four cases, respectively), and other complications (hepatic encephalopathy, gastrointestinal hemorrhage, bacterial infections) after paracentesis, and the clinical course of the disease as estimated by the probability of readmission to hospital during follow-up, causes of readmission, probability of survival, and causes of death were similar in the two groups of patients. The effect of paracentesis on effective intravascular volume was indirectly assessed by measuring plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration before and 2 and 6 days after treatment, the patients being without diuretics. In patients treated with albumin, no significant changes in renin and aldosterone were observed during the entire period of observation. In contrast, both parameters increased significantly on the 6th day of treatment in patients receiving dextran-70. A significant increase in plasma renin activity and aldosterone concentration (30% over baseline values) was observed in 51% of patients treated with dextran-70 and in only 15% of those treated with albumin (x2 = 10.4; P = 0.0012). These results indicate that although dextran-70 is less efficacious than albumin in protecting cirrhotic patients treated with total paracentesis from the decrease in effective intravascular volume, it appears to be capable of preventing the renal and electrolyte complications induced by this therapeutic procedure.
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PMID:Dextran-70 versus albumin as plasma expanders in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites treated with total paracentesis. Results of a randomized study. 193 22

The plasma levels of atrial natriuretic factor in liver cirrhosis can be affected by various factors, such as ascites, renal function, use of diuretics drugs and dietary sodium intake. Moreover, the influence of high intra-abdominal pressure on cardiac atrial natriuretic factor release in patients with tense ascites has not been investigated. The aim of the present study was to evaluate the circulating levels of atrial natriuretic factor and their relationships to plasma renin activity, aldosterone concentration, and urinary sodium excretion in 45 cirrhotic patients divided into 4 groups: (a) cirrhotics without ascites; (b) nonazotemic cirrhotics with ascites; (c) cirrhotics with ascites and functional renal failure; and (d) cirrhotics with ascites taking diuretics. In some patients with tense ascites, atrial natriuretic factor was also measured after rapid abdominal relaxation by large volume paracentesis. Plasma levels of atrial natriuretic factor obtained in 13 healthy control subjects after 5 days on a 40-50 mEq sodium daily intake were 22.8 +/- 3.3 pg/ml. Mean plasma atrial natriuretic factor levels were normal in patients without ascites (35.1 +/- 11.4 pg/ml) and in those with ascites taking diuretics (27 +/- 9.2 pg/ml), but elevated in patients with ascites not taking diuretics (59.6 +/- 12 pg/ml) and in those with ascites and functional renal failure (58.5 +/- 16.6 pg/ml). These data show that plasma atrial natriuretic factor levels are elevated only in cirrhotic patients who are ascitic and not taking diuretics. In these patients atrial natriuretic factor levels were directly correlated with urinary sodium excretion, even though sodium balance was positive. This could be the consequence of the contrasting effects of antinatriuretic factors, as suggested by the inverse relationships between atrial natriuretic factor and urinary sodium on the one hand and plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration on the other. Twenty-six patients with tense ascites (12 taking diuretics and 14 not) were treated with rapid large-volume paracentesis (6500 +/- 330 ml of ascitic fluid removed in 168 +/- 16 min). At the end of the procedure, plasma atrial natriuretic factor levels had increased in all patients (from 45.5 +/- 10.1 to 100 +/- 17 pg/ml), whereas plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration had decreased (from 10.3 +/- 1.6 to 7 +/- 1.3 ng/ml/h, and 1160 +/- 197 to 781 +/- 155 pg/ml, respectively).(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
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PMID:Atrial natriuretic factor in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites. Effect of large-volume paracentesis. 213 4

Twenty-one compartment syndromes of the thigh in seventeen patients were identified for retrospective review. Ten of the compartment syndromes were associated with an ipsilateral femoral fracture; five of these femoral fractures were open. In five patients, the syndrome followed femoral intramedullary stabilization. The remaining eleven syndromes followed blunt trauma to the thigh, prolonged compression by body weight, or vascular injury. The patients who were awake and alert at the time of the examination complained of intense pain in the thigh, and they had neuromuscular deficits. For the patients who could not cooperate with a subjective physical examination because they were under general anesthesia or because of associated injuries, the measurement of compartment pressure assumed a more important diagnostic role. All of the patients had tense swelling of the involved thigh. The predisposing risk factors for the development of compartment syndromes of the thigh, which are common in the multiply injured population, include: systemic hypotension, a history of external compression of the thigh, the use of military antishock trousers, coagulopathy, vascular injury, and trauma to the thigh, with or without a fracture of the femur. In approximately one-half of these patients, a crush syndrome developed, with myoglobinuria, renal failure, and collapse of multiple organ systems. Eight patients (47 per cent) died as a result of multiple injuries. Of the nine patients (ten compartment syndromes) who survived, infection developed at the site of the fasciotomy in six. Follow-up examination revealed marked morbidity, including sensory deficit and motor weakness of the lower extremity.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
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PMID:Acute compartment syndrome of the thigh. A spectrum of injury. 292 12

Nadolol, a nonselective beta-blocker, has been shown to decrease portal pressure in patients with cirrhosis at the same degree as propranolol. No data are available, however, about its effect on rebleeding rate and mortality in patients undergoing prevention of rebleeding from esophageal varices. A prospective randomized clinical trial was performed in patients with cirrhosis who survived a documented episode of variceal hemorrhage. 12 patients received nadolol, 12 placebo. Patients with child's C grade, tense ascites, renal failure, contraindications to beta-blocker, or age greater than 70 were not included. After a follow-up of up to 145 weeks, 9 patients in the nadolol group and 4 in the placebo group survived free from rebleeding (log-rank test: chi 2 = 4.35, p less than 0.05). Survival was not statistically different in the two groups (1 death in the nadolol group, 3 in the placebo group). In conclusion, nadolol appears to represent an effective therapy in the prevention of variceal rebleeding in cirrhotic patients.
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PMID:Nadolol for prevention of variceal rebleeding in cirrhosis: a controlled clinical trial. 330 78

Tense ascites in patients who require hemodialysis for renal failure (nephrogenic ascites) is a rare but ominous complication. Its appearance is often followed by a rapid physical deterioration. Nonsurgical attempts to control the ascites are often unsuccessful. Four patients with refractory ascites were treated with Denver peritoneovenous shunts (DPVS). These patients suffered from ventilatory failure, anorexia with malnutrition, and hypotension during hemodialysis. Patients were followed for as long as 18 months after DPVS, and all experienced clinical resolution of the ascites. Ventilatory failure, malnutrition, and hypotension either improved or resolved after shunting. Shunt-related morbidity occurred in all patients and consisted of mechanical complications in four patients and bacteremia in one patient. These problems were resolved by either revision or removal of the DPVS. No deaths were directly related to shunting. Peritoneovenous shunting successfully treats nephrogenic ascites and reverses the morbid sequelae usually associated with this syndrome.
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PMID:Successful use of the Denver peritoneovenous shunt in patients with nephrogenic ascites. 381 Apr 87

Some studies have demonstrated that paracentesis for large-volume extraction of ascites produces renal failure and hyponatremia, and intravenous infusion of plasma expanders can overcome this complications. We performed a survey where we compared effectiveness of dextran 70 vs albumin on prevention of adverse effects and cost differences. Two random groups were formed, 8 cirrhotic patients with tense ascites in each group. Paracentesis with extraction of more than 5 liters was performed. The group A received human albumin and group B dextran 70, both received 6 g per liter of extracted liquid. 24 hours before and 48 hours after of ascites extraction, we performed hepatic function test, blood chemistry with renin and aldosterone. Clinical results and biochemistry test were similar in both groups without statistical significance (p > 0.05). Amount of plasma expander was almost the same, but the cost in group A was $266 USD and in group B $20.8 USD. Azotemia was present in 12.5% in group A and hyponatremia in 12.5% in both groups, without symptoms. The results show that dextran 70 produces the same effect like albumin in the treatment of ascites after large-volume paracentesis with lower cost.
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PMID:[Massive paracentesis and administration of dextran 70 vs albumin in cirrhotic patients with tense ascites]. 754 91

The overall incidence of clinically important (moderate to severe) OHSS ranges from 1% to 10% of IVF cycles, but only a small proportion (0.5% to 2%) of the cases are severe. In extreme but rare cases, secondary complications such as deep vein thrombosis, respiratory distress and acute hepato-renal failure may occur. The main risk factors are the presence of polycystic ovaries, high ovarian response to superovulation therapy, the use of hCG to trigger the ovulatory process or for luteal phase support, and the endogenous production of hCG by an early pregnancy. The pathogenesis of OHSS is unknown, although the predominant biochemical mediator is thought to be the renin-angiotensin system. Ovarian stimulation should always be carefully monitored to identify those women at risk. In IVF cycles, the hCG injection should be withheld if the risk is judged to be too great. Some women will benefit from a policy of proceeding to collect oocytes, but electively cryopreserving any resulting embryos, thus allowing the ovarian stimulation cycle not to be wasted. The administration of albumin at the time of oocyte collection will reduce the chance of severe OHSS occurring. If a decision is made to proceed with oocyte recovery and embryo transfer, it may be advisable to give 5000 IU of hCG, rather than 10,000 IU, as the ovulatory trigger. Progesterone, and not hCG, should be given in the luteal phase. Women developing mild or moderate OHSS should be kept under outpatient surveillance to detect the minority that may progress to severe OHSS. Those with severe OHSS should be hospitalised for fluid and electrolyte management. Paracentesis under ultrasound guidance is recommended where there are tense ascites, but further surgical intervention should rarely be undertaken and only when there is good clinical evidence of ovarian torsion or haemorrhage.
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PMID:Diagnosis, prevention and management of ovarian hyperstimulation syndrome. 862 33

A rapid and simple method for ascites concentration and reinfusion was utilized to treat 103 episodes of tense ascites in 57 patients (38 men and 19 women, mean age 63 +/- 11 years). After a bedside total paracentesis, 6.06 +/- 2.87 liters of ascites were separately ultrafiltrated using a mechanical device during a mean interval of 134 +/- 88 min, and 430 +/- 368 ml of concentrate containing 39 +/- 42 g of albumin were restituted at bedside either intravenously (44 cases) or intraperitoneally (59 cases). Ultrafiltration was successfully and easily completed in all cases. Ascites concentration and reinfusion either intravenously or intraperitoneally did not adversely modify hemodynamic or renal parameters except for a transient decrease in mean arterial pressure (P < 0.05). Transitory hyponatremia and renal failure occurred in two patients. A transient decrease in platelet count and serum fibrinogen levels (P < 0.05) and pyrexia (12%) were observed only in patients reinfused intravenously. In conclusion, this new method for ascites concentration and reinfusion was effective, safe, and, with respect to traditional methods, simpler, faster and more comfortable. Therefore it is proposed for the routine management of tense ascites.
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PMID:A simple method for ascites concentration and reinfusion. 772 63


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