RT Book, Section A1 Koo, Alex A1 Walsh, Ryan A2 Reichman, Eric F. SR Print(0) ID 1159799740 T1 Paracentesis T2 Reichman's Emergency Medicine Procedures, 3e YR 2018 FD 2018 PB McGraw-Hill Education PP New York, NY SN 9781259861925 LK accessemergencymedicine.mhmedical.com/content.aspx?aid=1159799740 RD 2024/10/16 AB Ascites is an abnormal accumulation of fluid in the abdominal cavity (Figure 83-1). It has important implications diagnostically, prognostically, and therapeutically. Cirrhosis of the liver is usually related to alcoholism and accounts for 75% of cases of ascites.1,2 Malignancy accounts for an additional 10% to 12% and cardiac failure for another 5%. The remaining cases have a variety of etiologies. The physical examination is not very reliable when it comes to detecting ascites, making paracentesis and ultrasound (US) important clinical tools.3 US-guided paracentesis has two key benefits. It facilitates performance of the procedure and identifies patients in whom the procedure is not warranted or could potentially be harmful.4