Clinical features and prognosis of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis in korean patients with liver cirrhosis: a multicenter retrospective study.
OBJECTIVE
Although early recognition and treatment with effective antibiotics have lead to improvements in the prognosis of patients with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), it remains to be a serious complication in cirrhotic patients. This study was designed to evaluate the clinical manifestations and prognosis of patients with liver cirrhosis and SBP in Korea.


METHODS
This was a multicenter retrospective study examining 157 episodes of SBP in 145 patients with cirrhosis. SBP was diagnosed based on a polymorphonuclear cell count in ascitic fluid of >250 cells/mm(3) in the absence of data compatible with secondary peritonitis.


RESULTS
The mean age of the cohort was 56 years, and 121 (77%) of the 157 episodes of SBP occurred in men. Microorganisms were isolated in 66 episodes (42%): Gram-negative bacteria in 54 (81.8%), Gram-positive in 11 (16.7%), and Candida in 1. Isolated Gram-negative organisms were resistant to third-generation cephalosporin in 6 cases (17%), to ciprofloxacin in 11 (20.8%), and to penicillin in 33 (62.3%). The treatment failure and in-hospital mortality rates were 12.1% and 21%, respectively. A high Model of End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, SBP caused by extended-spectrum beta-lactamase-producing organisms, and hepatocellular carcinoma were independent prognostic factors of high in-hospital mortality.


CONCLUSIONS
SBP remains to be a serious complication with high in-hospital mortality, especially in patients with a high MELD score.
Heo
Jeong
J
Department of Internal Medicine, Pusan National University College of Medicine, Busan, Korea.
Seo
Yeon Seok
YS
Yim
Hyung Joon
HJ
Hahn
Taeho
T
Park
Sang Hoon
SH
Ahn
Sang Hoon
SH
Park
Jun Yong
JY
Park
Ji Young
JY
Kim
Moon Young
MY
Park
Sung Keun
SK
Cho
Mong
M
Um
Soon Ho
SH
Han
Kwang Hyub
KH
Kim
Hong Soo
HS
Baik
Soon Koo
SK
Kim
Byung Ik
BI
Cho
Se Hyun
SH