An echocardiographic evaluation of cardiac functions in patients with liver cirrhosis: A hospital based study

ObjectivesTo evaluate the cardiac function in patients with liver cirrhosis by echocardiography.MethodsWe selected 85 consecutive patients with liver cirrhosis who met the inclusion and exclusion criteria. Detailed history taking and examination of these patients was done. These patients then underwent investigations as per the Performa. Echocardiography was performed in all these patients at the Cardiac Laboratory, Department of Internal Medicine, BPKIHS. We studied the various parameters for systolic and diastolic function of the heart.ResultsOut of these 85 patients, the diastolic function was impaired in a total of 42 patients. 31 had grade 1 diastolic dysfunction while 11 had grade 2 diastolic dysfunction. The systolic functions evaluated through echocardiography were normal in all except 11 patients with atrial fibrillation and 6 with dilated Cardiomyopathy. We also analyzed relation between various parameters like duration from diagnosis, history of alcohol consumption, amount of alcohol consumption, laboratory parameters like AST, ALT, INR, platelet count and endoscopic findings of esophageal varices with the presence of diastolic dysfunction. The result showed that the relation of these parameters with diastolic dysfunction was not statistically significant which showed that presence of diastolic dysfunction is due to cirrhosis alone and it does not depend on the parameters mentioned above.ConclusionThe patients of cirrhosis develop cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy and this cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy is not related to the etiology of liver cirrhosis. The diastolic function was impaired & majority of patients had grade 1 diastolic dysfunction.