Backgrounds: Patients with liver cirrhosis suffer various degrees of cardiac dysfunction which may be crucial in determining the outcome of surgery. The aim of this study was to determine the role of natriuretic peptides on the assessment of cardiac dysfunction in patients with liver cirrhosis.
Methods: Prospective longitudinal study of 30 patients with hepatic cirrhosis. Severity of disease was assessed according to the Child-Turcotte-Pugh and Model for End Stage Liver Disease (MELD) scores. Cardiac function was assessed using endocrine markers [atrial natriuretic peptide-brain natriuretic peptide (BNP)] and isotopic ventriculography at baseline and after stimulation with dobutamine.
Results: The ejection fraction was higher in patients with Child A+B and MELD less than 18 than in patients with advanced liver disease. A significant correlation between BNP plasma levels and MELD values was observed. Dobutamine induced a marked improvement in myocardial performance associated to a decrease in BNP levels. Multivariate analysis showed that BNP has prognostic value as a marker of cardiac ejection fraction. Patients whose baseline BNP concentrations were more than 70 pg/ml had an ejection fraction of around 45%.
Conclusion: This study has shown that increased baseline BNP concentrations may be regarded together with high Child and MELD scores, as the critical cardiac dysfunction threshold in cirrhotic patients.