Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy: Getting to the heart of the matter
Z Ma, S S Lee – 1 August 1996 – In cirrhosis, cardiac contractile function has been extensively documented to be abnormal. At baseline, cardiac output is increased, and this is one of the characteristics of hyperdynamic circulation. However, when cirrhotic patients are challenged by pharmacological or physiological stress, ventricular hyporesponsiveness is revealed. Similar patterns have been noted in cirrhotic animal models.