A Comparison of Two Albumin Administration Schedules for Spontaneous Bacterial Peritonitis

Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) is a common and frequently fatal complication of
end-stage liver disease with a mortality of up to 10% primarily due to the development of
kidney failure. Current standard practice is to treat this infection with broad spectrum
antibiotics and salt-poor albumin administration on day one and three of treatment. In this
study the investigators test the hypothesis that the administration of a second dose of
albumin at 48 hours only to patients with renal insufficiency is as effective at preventing
kidney failure as administering the second dose to all patients at 72 hours. In addition, a
kidney function determined approach to albumin dosing may lead to substantial cost and
resource saving from decreased albumin use without compromising treatment efficacy.