Paracentesis at the Bedside or in Interventional Radiology?

Increasing numbers of paracenteses are performed in interventional radiology (IR) instead of at the bedside, likely driven by work-hour limitations, time constraints, and inadequate training. The last item might reflect existing American Board of Internal Medicine policy, which no longer requires competence in performing paracenteses. Furthermore, whether any particular patient characteristics should dictate where the procedure is performed is unknown.

To compare patient outcomes between bedside and IR procedures, researchers in Chicago reviewed the medical records of 502 patients who underwent a total of 622 paracenteses at a single tertiary-care hospital. All non-IR paracenteses were performed under ultrasound guidance by internal medicine…