Assessing the left atrial function via echocardiography to detect cirrhotic cardiomyopathy in patients with liver cirrhosis - a scoping review

Background

Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM) is a condition observed in patients with chronic liver disease, characterized by dysfunction in both cardiac diastolic and/or systolic function. This condition is often underdiagnosed due to a lack of awareness and the possibility of misdiagnosis. Consequently, there is limited data regarding subclinical CCM in individuals with end-stage liver disease. Furthermore, there is currently no established cardiac biomarker to assess cardiovascular risk and outcomes in patients with liver cirrhosis. To address this issue, we conducted a scoping review to map the existing evidence and identify research gaps in echocardiographic assessment of left atrial (LA) function for detecting CCM in patients with liver cirrhosis.