European Journal of Cardiovascular Medicine

Introduction: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis is an infection of abdominal fluid, called ascites, that does not come from an obvious place within the abdomen, such as a hole in the intestines or a collection of pus. The condition typically affects people with liver disease, who often develop ascites as their disease worsens. Ascites forms in advanced liver disease when pressure is increased across the liver (portal hypertension) and when liver function is impaired, which causes levels of certain proteins to be lower in the blood. Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis can occur when bacteria that normally live in the intestine enter the abdominal cavity and the ascites becomes infected.  Material and Methods: This is a Cross-sectional Study, Hospital-based cross-sectional study conducted at Mandya Institute of Medical Sciences, Mandya from June 2020 to May 2021. Ethical committee clearance taken. A total of 80 adult patients of either sex having cirrhosis of liver with ascites from indoor medical departments of above-mentioned hospital is studied. A detailed history of presenting symptoms, past history, drug and personal history taken. Anthropometric and clinical examination including blood pressure (BP) measurement are carried out for each subject using prepared proforma. Results: On analysing the association between spontaneous bacterial peritonitis and positive clinical findings, there exists statistically significant relation, as the temperature was high, abdominal tenderness and jaundice were present in majority among those who were diagnosed with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis comparatively. The study found statistically significant difference in the mean values of serum bilirubin with respect to the spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. This can be appreciated by the findings where the mean values of serum bilirubin among the participants with spontaneous bacterial peritonitis was higher compared to those diagnosed with non-spontaneous bacterial peritonitis. On comparing the mean duration of cirrhosis among the participants with respect to the spontaneous bacterial peritonitis, the study found statistically significant difference. Conclusion: Spontaneous bacterial peritonitis continues to be one of the main complications in patients with cirrhosis. Early antibiotic treatment and intravascular expansion with albumin are key strategies to improving prognosis in these patients.