Cardiac Dysfunction in Liver Transplantation

The heart and the liver are mutually interactive organs both in health and disease. For example, patients with chronic right heart failure may develop chronic congestive hepatopathy and cirrhosis, what has been previously termed, "cardiac cirrhosis" [2]. Conversely, patients with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) may develop a host of cardiovascular abnormalities[3]. The spectrum of heart diseases associated with liver cirrhosis includes 3 major groups: Underlying heart disease aggravated by cirrhosis Heart disease that is caused by a pathologic process that concomitantly affects the heart and the liver Cirrhosis-associated cardiac disease, which may be vascular, myocardial or pericardial.