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Published on: June 18, 2020

Evaluation of cardiac function in patients with liver cirrhosis

Tarek A Abd-El-Aziz1, Mohamed Abdou, Ahmed Fathy

  • 1Department of Cardiology, Faculty of Medicine, Zagazig University, Egypt.

Internal Medicine (Tokyo, Japan)
|December 9, 2010
PubMed

Insights

Liver cirrhosis patients exhibit significant cardiac abnormalities, including prolonged QTc intervals and altered ventricular function, necessitating echocardiographic assessment. These findings highlight the importance of cardiac evaluation in managing liver disease.

Area of Science:

  • Cardiology
  • Hepatology
  • Medical Imaging

Background:

  • Liver cirrhosis is associated with systemic complications.
  • Cardiovascular dysfunction is increasingly recognized in liver cirrhosis patients.

Purpose of the Study:

  • To investigate cardiac function in patients with liver cirrhosis.
  • To identify specific echocardiographic abnormalities in liver cirrhosis.

Main Methods:

  • Echocardiographic evaluation of systolic and diastolic functions in 30 liver cirrhosis patients and 30 controls.
  • Utilized 2-D, M-mode, conventional Doppler, and tissue Doppler parameters.
  • Assessed cardiac function across Child-Pugh classifications (A, B, C).

Main Results:

  • Reduced blood pressure, increased heart rate and cardiac output in cirrhosis patients.
  • Prolonged QTc interval and increased left atrial diameter (LAD), myocardial performance index (MPI), and ventricular wall thickness.
  • Reversed E/A and E'/A' ratios indicating diastolic dysfunction.

Conclusions:

  • Liver cirrhosis is linked to diverse cardiovascular abnormalities.
  • Echocardiography is crucial for evaluating cardiac function in liver cirrhosis patients.
  • Cardiac assessment is vital before procedures impacting hemodynamics.
Abstract

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