@jrcarls, I want to welcome you to Mayo Connect.
I have had my share of paracentesis procedures before my transplant.
At that time, I had end stage liver failure due to Primary Sclerosing Cholangitis (PSC) and I was on dialysis for acute kidney failure. Between February and mid April of 2009, I needed one about every 8-10 days. These were performed at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester where I was a patient and staying at the Gift of Life Transplant House which was a few blocks from the Mayo Clinic. It was convenient for us to take the transport shuttle to the Clinic, and for my husband to push me in a wheelchair to the treatment area. I did not have leaking at Mayo,. However, on one occasion, after I had been transferred to Mayo from an out-of-state ICU unit, I had a stick-on bag attached to catch the drainage. That one did leak and the nurses changed it several times. I was too sick to remember what they used or for how long. But I do remember wondering how I got wet!
- For anyone unfamiliar with this topic:
Ascites is the buildup of fluid in your belly, often due to severe liver disease. The extra fluid makes your belly swell. And a Paracentesis is a medical procedure that drains fluid from a person’s abdominal cavity.

Jrcarls, I have never heard of a stoma being used for ascites treatment. My guess as a patient, is that a paracentesis is a simple procedure that requires a needle, while a stoma would be a more complicated procedure.
@digibson, @marinab, @cybele65, gaylea1, I am inviting you to this discussion. What would you like to add from your ascites experience?