Abstract
Current clinical guidelines for albumin use in decompensated cirrhosis recommend the use of intravenous albumin infusions for management of ascites-related symptoms and paracentesis (removal of ascitic fluid) and for the management of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP), renal dysfunction and variceal bleeding. Routine albumin use is not recommended for the management of non-SBP infections. The aim of this review is to improve our understanding of the effects of albumin use in cirrhosis by reviewing the currently available and quantifying the effectiveness of intravenous albumin therapy to prevent specific cirrhosis complications, spontaneous bacterial peritonitis (SBP) and renal dysfunction. Long-term albumin administration to patients with decompensated cirrhosis improves survival, prevents complications, eases the management of ascites and reduces hospitalizations, thus being cost-effective. However, variant results indicate that further investigations are needed, aiming at confirming the beneficial effects of albumin, clarifying its optimal dosage and administration schedule and identify patients who would benefit most from long-term albumin administration.
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