In practice, cefotaxime is the agent of choice for treatment of SBP. After confirmation of SBP, hospital admission is usually advised for observation and intravenous antibiotic therapy. Where there is a risk of kidney malfunction developing in a syndrome called hepatorenal syndrome, intravenous albumin is usually administered too. Paracentesis may be repeated after 48 hours to ensure control of infection. After recovery from a single episode of SBP, indefinite prophylactic antibiotics are recommended. Prokinetics The addition of a prokinetic drug to an antibiotic regimen reduces the incidence of spontaneous bacterial peritonitis possibly via decreasing small intestinal bacterial overgrowth. Intravenous albumin A randomized controlled trial found that intravenous albumin on the day of admission and on hospital day 3 can reduce kidney impairment. Epidemiology Patients with ascites underwent routine paracentesis; the incidence of active SBP ranged from 10% to 27% at the time of hospital admission. History SBP was first described in 1964 by Harold O. Conn. References External links Peritoneum disorders