Cardiology Assessment of Patients Undergoing Evaluation for Orthotopic Liver Transplantation

Orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) is a viable treatment option for end-stage liver disease. Significant perioperative stress is placed on the cardiovascular system because of hemodynamic changes and the length of the operation. Diagnosis and treatment of cardiovascular disease before OLT are imperative to ensure favorable outcomes. Considerable variability exists among practitioners caring for these patients. Institutions tailor their protocols on the basis of local and historical practices, the preferences of the cardiologists, and the OLT team, and algorithms are not often revised or updated on the basis of the available evidence. In collaboration with cardiology and hepatology experts from leading OLT centers, we sought to examine the diagnostic cardiovascular workup of OLT candidates, including a review of the available literature on the diagnostic modalities used to screen cardiovascular disease before OLT. We advocate an emphasis on noninvasive methods to assess cardiovascular risk with reserved use of invasive risk stratification in select patients.