Ascites is a leading cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with cirrhosis. Transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunting (TIPS) has been shown to improve refractory ascites in cirrhotic patients based on a series of clinical trials. The purpose of this study was to conduct a population-level analysis of the utilization and impact of TIPS in cirrhotic patients with ascites. Using administrative data from all inpatient and outpatient hospital encounters in California (2009-2011), patients with cirrhosis complicated by ascites were identified. The utilization of TIPS and its influence on ascites management was evaluated in this patient population. A total of 180,286 patients with cirrhosis were identified, of whom 36,751 patients (20.3%) were noted to have non-malignant/non-cardiogenic ascites. Within this population of cirrhotic patients with ascites, 1,166 TIPS were performed in 1,150 patients (3.1%). There was a greater baseline rate of paracenteses for the TIPS vs non-TIPS patients (mean 1.44 vs 1.05 procedures/month, P < 0.001). There was a significance decrease in the frequency of paracenteses for patients following TIPS (0.4 procedures per month, P < 0.001). There was also a significant decrease in hospital visits for peritonitis following TIPS (P = 0.02). There was a non-significant trend towards increased hepatic encephalopathy following TIPS (P = 0.08). TIPS is associated with reduced frequency and complications of paracenteses for the management of refractory ascites in patients with cirrhosis. TIPS has a low utilization rate in this population, but the benefits of the procedure should be weighed with the risks of hepatic encephalopathy.Tabled 1TIPSNo TIPSP ValuePatients (n)115035601Gender (% female)5657< 0.001Comorbidities (%) Coagulopathy86.363.3< 0.001 Obesity30.518.5< 0.001 Renal failure46.735.3< 0.001 CHF15.721.3< 0.001 Viral hepatitis53.950.0< 0.001History of malignancy (%)0.35.7< 0.001Baseline history of hepatic encephalopathy (%)62.232.1< 0.001Baseline history of peritonitis (%)70.215.9< 0.001Baseline paracentesis rate (procedure/month)1.441.05< 0.001 Open table in a new tab
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