Table 2.
Treatment groups, followup, and results.
| Study | Albumin group | Control group | Duration of followup | Results |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Abdel-Khalek and Arif 2010 [19] | Paracentesis and IV 20% albumin 8 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis and hydroxyethyl starch 6%. | Up to 11 months. | Bacterial infection 3/68 versus 3/67, death 5/68 versus 6/67, encephalopathy 3/68 versus 2/67, GI bleeding 5/68 versus 5/67, readmissions 32/68 versus 37/67. |
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| Altman et al. 1998 [20] | Paracentesis and IV 20% albumin 100 mL if <2 L of ascites removed, 200 mL if 2–5 L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis and hydroxyethyl starch 200 mL/L of ascetics fluid removed. | Up to 15 days after paracentesis. | Encephalopathy 1/33 versus 0/27, GI bleeding 0/33 versus 1/27, hyponatraemia 0/33 versus 1/27, severe infection 2/33 versus 3/27. |
|
| ||||
| Choi et al. 2002 [21] | Paracentesis and albumin 6–8 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | General management. | Followup at 7 days. | Death 3/21 versus 2/19, encephalopathy 2/21 versus 0/19, hyponatremia 4/21 versus 2/19, renal impairment 3/21 versus 1/19. |
|
| ||||
| Fassio et al. 1992 [22] | Paracentesis with albumin 6 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis with dextran 70 6 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | In-hospital outcomes. | Death 6/21 versus 6/20, encephalopathy 1/21 versus 2/20, GI bleeding 3/21 versus 0/20, hyponatremia 4/21 versus 3/20, readmission 6/21 versus 5/20, renal impairment 1/21 versus 1/20, sepsis 2/21 versus 1/20. |
|
| ||||
| Garcia-Compean et al. 1993 [23] |
Paracentesis with albumin 5 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis without albumin. | 5 days. | Encephalopathy 1/17 versus 0/18, hyponatremia 1/17 versus 1/18, renal impairment 1/17 versus 2/18. |
|
| ||||
| García-Compean et al. 2002 [24] |
Paracentesis with albumin infusion 8 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis with 8 g/L Dextran solution (10 mg Dextran-40 and 5 g sorbitol per 100 mL) | 14 months. | Death 11/48 versus 18/48, hyponatremia 3/48 versus 5/48, readmission 30/48 versus 34/48, renal impairment 7/48 versus 2/48. |
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| Gines et al. 1988 [2] | Paracentesis 4–6 L/day until resolution and IV 20% albumin infusion (40 g after each tap). | Paracentesis without albumin. | 27 months. | Death 18/51 versus 14/50, hyponatremia 1/51 versus 2/52, readmission 29/51 versus 36/50, renal impairment 0/51 versus 1/50. |
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| ||||
| Gines et al. 1996 [25] | Paracentesis with IV albumin 8 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Group II: Paracentesis and IV dextran-70 (8 g/L of ascitic fluid) and Group 3: Paracentesis with IV polygeline (8 g/L of ascitic fluid). | NA | Bacterial infection 5/97 versus 3/99, deaths 2/97 versus 6/99, encephalopathy 3/97 versus 5/99, GI bleeding 1/97 versus 1/99, hyponatremia 14/97 versus 19/99, PPCD 17/92 versus 37/98, renal impairment 7/97 versus 10/99. |
|
| ||||
| Guevara et al. 2012 [26] | Antibiotics plus 20% albumin (1.5 g/kg then 1 g/kg). | Best infection care with antibiotics but not albumin. | 3 months. | Death 8/56 versus 10/54, renal impairment 1/56 versus 4/54. |
|
| ||||
| Moreau et al. 2006 [27] | Paracentesis and 20% albumin replacement. | Paracentesis and 3.5% polygeline. | 6 months. | Hyponatraemia 8/29 versus 15/38. |
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| ||||
| Nazar et al. 2009 [28] | Antibiotics plus albumin (1.5 g/kg then 1 g/kg). | Best infection care with antibiotics but not albumin. | 3 months. | Infection resolution 55/56 versus 50/54, renal impairment 3/56 versus 4/54. |
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| ||||
| Planas et al. 1990 [29] | Paracentesis and IV 20% albumin 8 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis and dextran-70 8 g/L ascitic fluid removed. | 27.5 weeks versus 23.7 weeks. | Death 13/43 versus 17/45, encephalopathy 3/43 versus 3/45, GI bleeding 1/43 versus 3/45, hyponatraemia 3/43 versus 4/45, readmissions 24/43 versus 29/43, renal impairment 1/43 versus 1/45, severe infection 1/43 versus 2/45. |
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| ||||
| Salemo 1991 [35] | Paracentesis and IV 20% albumin 30 mL/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis and IV haemaccel 3.5% 150 mL/L of ascitic fluid removed. | NA. | Encephalopathy 2/27 versus 2/27, hyponatraemia 4/27 versus 5/27, readmissions 17/27 versus 12/27, renal impairment 1/27 versus 1/27. |
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| ||||
| Sola-Vera et al. 2003 [30] | Paracentesis and IV 20% albumin 8 g/L of ascitic fluid removed. | Paracentesis and 170 mL of 3.5% saline/L of ascites removed. | NA. | Death 1/37 versus 1/35, hyponatraemia 2/37 versus 5/35, PICD 4/37 versus 11/35, renal impairment 2/37 versus 3/35. |
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| ||||
| Sort et al. 1999 [8] | IV cefotaxime 2 g dosing based on serum creatinine and 20% albumin 1.5 g/kg during first 6 hours, then 1 g/kg on day 3. | IV cefotaxime dosing based on creatinine. | NA. | Death in hospital 6/63 versus 18/63, death at three months 14/63 versus 26/63, infection resolution 62/63 versus 59/63, renal impairment 6/63 versus 21/63. |
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| Xue et al. 2002 [31] | IV ceftriaxone plus IV albumin 0.5–1.0 g/kg within 6 hours of enrolment, then same amount on 3rd day and every 3 days thereafter. | IV ceftriaxone 3 g/day adjusted based on serum creatinine. | NA. | Renal impairment 5/56 versus 19/56, deaths 5/56 versus 17/56. |
NA: not available.