Paracentesis

How To Prepare

Before you have paracentesis done, tell your doctor if you:

• Are taking any medicine.
• Are allergic to any medicines, including numbing medicines (anesthetics).
• Have had bleeding problems or are taking blood thinners, such as aspirin, nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs), or warfarin (Coumadin).
• Are or might be pregnant.

Other blood tests may be done before a paracentesis to make sure that you do not have any bleeding or clotting problems. You will empty your bladder before the procedure.

You may be asked to sign a consent form. Talk to your doctor about any concerns you have regarding the need for the test, its risks, how it will be done, or what the results will mean. To help you understand the importance of this test, fill out the medical test information form(What is a PDF document?).

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Author:	Jan Nissl, RN, BS	Last Updated: November 28, 2006
Medical Review:	Kathleen Romito, MD - Family Medicine Jerome B. Simon, MD, FRCPC, FACP - Gastroenterology
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