Year: 2019
Type: article
Study design: Observational Study
Abstract: The purpose of our study was to describe and better understand the clinical aspects of cirrhotic patients from a cardiologic perspective, to observe the correlations between clinical and echocardiography findings and to evaluate the prognostic impact of cardiac involvement in the end stage liver disease. Material and methods: We enrolled for this study a number of 83 patients that were devised according to MELD and Child-Pugh score. All study participants underwent a complete clinical examination and were assessed by echocardiography focusing on chambers dimensions, walls thickness, E/A ratio, left ventricular ejection fraction and pulmonary artery systolic pressure (PAPs). Results: The most frequent cardiac sign was edemas (34.9%), which was not correlated with the MELD score (p=0.118) but had an influence on the mortality rate (p=0.043). PAPs was higher among patients with edemas (mean value 29.34 mmHg; p=0.001), dyspnea (34 mmHg; p=0.012) and heart murmurs (36 mmHg; p=0.001) also if left atrium dilation was present (28.81±10.02 vs. 22.13±8.95, p=0.002). Conclusions: The echocardiographic parameters assessed in cirrhotic patients were not predictors of mortality and were not influenced by the severity of liver cirrhosis.
Source: The Medical-Surgical Journal
Language: English
Subfield: Hepatology
Field: Medicine
Domain: Health Sciences
Open Access status: diamond
OpenAlex ID: W3015385266