An update on cirrhotic cardiomyopathy

AbstractIntroduction: Cirrhosis with portal hypertension and related complications are associated with a high mortality. Excess of circulating vasodilatators and cardiodepressive substances lead to a hyperdynamic circulation with changed myocardial structure and function. The entity cirrhotic cardiomyopathy seems to be involved in different aspects of hepatic decompensation, which focuses on new targets of treatment.Areas covered: This review deals with contemporary aspects of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and the literature search was undertaken by PubMed with “cirrhotic” and “cardiomyopathies” as MeSH Terms. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is defined as presence of systolic and diastolic dysfunction and electrophysiological abnormalities. The diagnosis is based on contemporary Doppler/Echocardiography measurements or quatitative magnetic resonance imaging. Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is independent of the etiology of the liver disease but related to severity and survival.Expert opinion: The outcome of invasive procedu...