A Prospective Study of Prevalence and Predictors of Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy and Its Role in Development of Hepatorenal Syndrome

BACKGROUND AND AIMS: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a term used to collectively describe abnormal structural and functional changes in heart of patients with cirrhosis. The present study was undertaken to find the prevalence of CCM in patients with liver cirrhosis and its predictors. We also followed these patients to evaluate the role of CCM in the development of hepatorenal syndrome (HRS). MATERIALS & METHODS: This was a prospective study carried out in department of Gastroenterology, Sir Ganga Ram hospital, New Delhi. A total of 104 patients with liver cirrhosis were included. Liver cirrhosis was diagnosed on basis of clinical, biochemical, and imaging features. CCM was defined based on echocardiography. Dobutamine stress echocardiography and hepatic venous pressure gradient (HVPG) were performed in patients who gave consent. HRS was defined as per standard criteria. Patients with CCM were followed for development of HRS. RESULTS: Fifty (48%) patients were diagnosed with CCM. All patients had diastolic dysfunction, and none had systolic dysfunction. Median age of patients with CCM was significantly higher (59 [31–78 y] vs. 52 [24–70 y], P