Coronary artery disease risk assessment of liver transplant candidates

Abstract

Cardiovascular complications are a major cause of morbidity and mortality in patients with end-stage liver disease undergoing liver transplantation (LT). Coronary artery disease (CAD) contributes to major portion of cardiovascular complications and therefore warrants evaluation in the preoperative period. Patients awaiting LT are a special subgroup that carries heterogeneous risk factors and has unique pathogenic and clinical characteristics. These patients usually demonstrate increased cardiac output and a compromised response to stress. Low systemic vascular resistance and bradycardia are also commonly seen in cirrhosis and can be aggravated by beta-blocker use. Current non-invasive tests that assess for subclinical CAD have low sensitivity, and altered hemodynamics during the LT surgery can unmask latent cardiovascular disease either intraoperatively or in the immediate postoperative period. This review focuses on the expanding body of evidence for diagnosis and risk stratifi cation of CAD in LT candidates. The systematic approach to evaluate preoperative CAD risk in LT candidates may be helpful to optimize post-LT outcome.

Keywords

• coronary artery disease
• liver transplantation
• ri