Liver transplantation (LT) is a life-saving procedure for patients with end-stage liver disease; however, with the growing shortage of organ donors, the need to identify futile transplants has become increasingly urgent. Futility in liver transplantation refers to situations where the expected post-transplant survival or quality of life is poor, making the procedure unlikely to yield a meaningful benefit. Various definitions of futility are used across different countries and transplant centers, with criteria often based on clinical factors such as age, comorbidities, MELD score, and functional status. For hepatologists and transplant surgeons, clearer guidelines are essential to make informed decisions and avoid unnecessary transplants that may place patients at risk without improving their prognosis. While some studies have proposed futility scores, there is currently no universal consensus on a standardized definition or set of criteria. This highlights the need for further prospective trials to evaluate the predictors of futility in liver transplantation, aiming to refine decision-making processes, optimize organ allocation, and improve patient outcomes. Future research should focus on the development of universally accepted futility criteria and explore interventions to mitigate the factors contributing to transplant futility.

Liver transplantation (LT) is the only cure for patients with end-stage liver disease. With an increase in the prevalence of obesity and associated metabolic risk factors cardiovascular disease, in particular coronary artery disease is increasingly recognised in patients with liver cirrhosis. Identification and management of these cardiovascular risk factors may influence post-transplant clinical outcomes. A detailed assessment of patients' cardiovascular status is therefore crucial in the decision-making of patients for LT. Identification of patients with CAD requires risk stratification around perioperative and long term post-operative period. Advanced age, male sex, smoking diabetes mellitus, hypertension, obesity and metabolic-associated steatohepatitis (MASH) cirrhosis significantly increase the risk of coronary artery disease (CAD). Patients with these high-risk factors should undergo cardiac investigations with higher sensitivity to identify CAD. Patients with low-risk factors for CAD may undergo cardiac investigations with high specificity. Patients with cirrhosis may also suffer from conditions directly related to liver disease such as cirrhotic cardiomyopathy and porto-pulmonary hypertension, and conditions unrelated to liver disease such as arrhythmias. Rarely, valvular heart disease may be identified during transplant evaluation. Clinicians managing patients for liver transplantation should carefully evaluate cardiovascular risk and treat it appropriately prior to the surgery, to minimise post-transplant complication. A multidisciplinary approach involving transplant physicians, anaesthetists, cardiologists and transplant surgeons is strongly recommended.

Congenital heart disease (CHD) frequently coexists with noncardiac malformations. Among which, biliary atresia (BA) occurs in approximately 5%-15% of patients Despite this, outcomes of liver transplantation (LT) in patients with CHD and BA remain unknown.

A retrospective review of the Pediatric Health Information System (PHIS) database from January 1, 2004 to October 30, 2023. All patients who underwent LT and had a diagnosis of BA were included. Multiorgan transplants were excluded. International Classification of Diseases 9th and 10th editions were utilized to identify patients with a diagnosis consistent with CHD.

A total of 1677 patients were identified with 983 (59%) female, 811 (5%) white non-Hispanic, and a median age at transplant of 11.6 (interquartile range [IQR]: 7.7-26.6) months. A CHD diagnosis was present in 83 (5%). Overall, the majority of transplants were performed in the CHD population in the modern era (2016-2023) (42/83.51%). CHD had a longer median preoperative length of stay (LOS) compared to non-CHD (1 [1.0-15.0] vs. 1 [0-6.0], p = 0.031). No increased risk of in-hospital mortality was evident (OR: 1.61, 95% CI: 0.37-6.95, p = 0.519). On multivariable analysis, CHD was associated with a 29% (95% CI: 11.04-50.34) increase in LOS (p < 0.001), 25% (95% CI: 6.98-46.47, p = 0.005) increase in postoperative LOS, and was not associated with increased risk for 30-day readmission (OR: 1.14; CI: 0.53-2.45, p = 0.736). Over a median follow-up of 3.5 years (IQR: 0.86-7.78) years, no difference in retransplantation rate was evident.

LT in patients with CHD and BA is safe. Although patients with CHD display heightened utilization of in-hospital resources, no discernible variance in long-term outcomes was observed. However, additional research is imperative to comprehensively elucidate the influence of CHD on management decisions and outcomes throughout the liver transplant process.

Coronary artery disease in candidates for liver transplantation is a real challenge because of the need to balance the risks of bleeding and thrombosis. Antiplatelet therapy, essential to prevent thrombotic events, may increase the risk of hemorrhagic complications, especially in the context of hepatic surgery. A 71-year-old woman with end-stage liver disease (ESLD) presented for a pretransplantation evaluation. She received a diagnosis of significant coronary artery disease (CAD), and a multidisciplinary discussion resulted in the option for an invasive treatment with several precautions to minimize her bleeding risk. Because of the intricacy of underlying comorbidities and the elevated perioperative risk, managing CAD in patients with ESLD is particularly challenging. More research and evidence are needed on treating CAD in this patient group. Patients with ESLD who are waiting for liver transplantation should have CAD actively screened. Multidisciplinary treatment is crucial to maximizing the results.

Perioperative management practices in liver transplantation (LT) evolve very quickly. There are few specific recommendations, often based on a low level of evidence, resulting in wide heterogeneity of practices.

We performed a survey in all 16 French centers in 2021 by focusing on center organization, preoperative cardiovascular assessment, antimicrobial prophylaxis, hemostasis management, intraoperative use of hemodynamic monitoring and renal replacement therapy, immunosuppression, and postoperative prevention of arterial complications and compared it with current recommendations.

The organization of perioperative LT care involved 1 single team throughout the perioperative LT process in 7 centers (43.7%). The coronary evaluation was systematic in one-third of the centers and guided by risk factors in the other centers. Antibiotic prophylaxis was strictly intraoperative in only 7 centers (44%). Antifungal prophylaxis targeting high-risk LT recipients was administered in 15 centers (93%). Intraoperative coagulation assessment was based on standard coagulation tests in 8 centers (50%), on viscoelastic assays in 4 centers (25%), and both methods in 4 centers (25%). Hemodynamic monitoring practices greatly varied between centers.Concerning immunosuppression, molecules and dosages were heterogeneous. Aspirin was systematically administered in one-third of cases (6 centers; 37.5%). Of the 21 recommendations tested, the concordance rate was 100% for 3 recommendations and <50% for 7 recommendations.

Our study precisely describes French practices regarding LT in perioperative care and highlights the paucity of data in this setting, leading to very weak recommendations that are poorly followed in LT centers.

Background: Chronic liver disease (CLD) and cirrhosis contribute to approximately 2 million deaths annually, with primary causes including alcohol-related liver disease (ALD), metabolic dysfunction-associated steatotic liver disease (MASLD), and chronic hepatitis B and C infections. Among these, MASLD has emerged as a significant global health concern, closely linked to metabolic disorders and a leading cause of liver failure and transplantation. Objective: This review aims to highlight the interplay between cirrhosis and cardiac dysfunction, emphasizing the pathophysiology, diagnostic criteria, and management of cirrhotic cardiomyopathy (CCM). Methods: A comprehensive literature review was conducted to evaluate the hemodynamic and structural cardiac alterations in cirrhosis. Results: Cirrhosis leads to portal hypertension and systemic inflammation, contributing to CCM, which manifests as subclinical cardiac dysfunction, impaired contractility, and electrophysiological abnormalities. Structural changes, such as increased left ventricular mass, myocardial fibrosis, and ion channel dysfunction, further impair cardiac function. Vasodilation in the splanchnic circulation reduces peripheral resistance, triggering compensatory tachycardia, while the activation of the renin-angiotensin-aldosterone system (RAAS) promotes fluid retention and increases cardiac preload. Chronic inflammation and endotoxemia exacerbate myocardial dysfunction. The 2005 World Congress of Gastroenterology (WCG) and the 2019 Cirrhotic Cardiomyopathy Consortium (CCC) criteria provide updated diagnostic frameworks that incorporate global longitudinal strain (GLS) and tissue Doppler imaging (TDI). Prolonged QT intervals and arrhythmias are frequently observed. Managing heart failure in cirrhotic patients remains complex due to intolerance to afterload-reducing agents, and beta-blockers require careful use due to potential systemic hypotension. The interaction between CCM and major interventions, such as transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT), highlights the critical need for thorough preoperative cardiac evaluation and vigilant postoperative monitoring. Conclusions: CCM is a frequently underdiagnosed yet significant complication of cirrhosis, impacting prognosis, particularly post-liver transplantation. Early identification using echocardiography and thorough evaluations of arrhythmia risk in cirrhotic patients are critical for optimizing management strategies. Future research should focus on targeted therapeutic approaches to mitigate the cardiac burden in cirrhotic patients and improve clinical outcomes.

Vasopressor usage during liver transplant is related to decreased hepatic flow, graft failure, and mortality. We measured plasma Copeptin levels in liver transplant patients based on vasopressor requirements. We hypothesize that preoperative plasma copeptin measurement helps predict the vasopressor infusion requirement during liver transplantation in preoperative evaluation.

The plasma Copeptin of 40 patients was measured 5 times: before the operation, 15 minutes before and after reperfusion, and postoperative 12th and 24th hours. Patients were categorized into 2 groups based on vasopressor infusion for comparison.

There was a statistically significant rise in median serum Copeptin concentration between the preoperative phase and before reperfusion (11.2 [7.3-20.9] vs 178.5 [121.5-243.0], P < .001), as well as a statistically substantial decline between after reperfusion and postoperative 12th hours (190.6 [127-276.3] vs 74.7 [42.0-124.9], P < .001). The vasopressor-taking group had significantly higher plasma copeptin at postoperative 12th hours (96.6 [71.4-191.7] vs 55.0 [31.8-82.5], P = .030) and 24th (133.7 [72.2-175.5] vs 51.1 [24.8-85.8], P = .037). A tendency above 11.85 pmol/L of plasma Copeptine level was observed between increasing preoperative plasma Copeptin and the odds of vasopressor use.

High preoperative plasma Copeptin levels may be an indicator of vasopressor need during liver transplantation. Further studies with more samples, including a higher range of preoperative plasma Copeptin levels, are required to provide more generalizable findings and to determine thresholds applicable to LT candidates.

Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is the leading cause of morbidity and mortality among LT candidates and accounts for up to 40% of the overall mortality within one month. It is influenced by traditional and nontraditional risk factors related to end-stage liver disease. A large proportion of CLD patients have underlying cardiovascular disease (CVD) especially if the etiology is metabolic associated steatohepatitis. Despite the large number of liver transplantations being conducted in India, there is a lack of an evidence-based guidelines for screening of CVD in this patient population. This consensus statement from Liver Transplant Society of India (LTSI) is the first attempt for developing an evidence-based document on preoperative cardiac evaluation from India. A task force consisting of transplant-anesthesiologists, transplant hepatologists, liver transplant surgeon and cardiologists from high volume centres was formed which reviewed the existing evidence and literature and formulated graded recommendations. The document focuses on identification of underlying cardiac pathologies, risk stratification and optimisation of modifiable cardiac diseases. Implementation of best practices and optimal strategies should be encouraged to improve cardiovascular outcomes in these populations.

Pioneered by Thomas Starzl in the early 1970s, liver transplant (LT) is nowadays often considered a final intervention and standard of care to cure many forms of acute and chronic end-stage liver diseases. Started in recipients younger than 60 years old, LT indications are now much broader, and at least, one-fifth of the candidates are older than 65 years. Problems associated with ageing and frailty in LT recipients and their impact on the entire perioperative course are discussed according to a modern anesthesiological perspective and the anesthesiologist covering the role of the perioperative (transplant) physician.

Liver transplantation (LT) is an established life-saving procedure. The field of LT has changed in the past 10 years from several perspectives, with the expansion of indications, transplantation of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure, evolution of transplant oncology, the use of donations after cardiac death, new surgical techniques, and prioritisation of recipients on the waiting list. In addition, the advent of organ perfusion machines, the recognition of new forms of rejection, and the attention paid to the transition from paediatric to adult patients, have all improved the management of LT recipients. The purpose of the EASL guidelines presented here is not to cover all aspects of LT but to focus on developments since the previous EASL guidelines published in 2016.

The prevalence and mortality related to end-stage liver disease (ESLD) continue to rise globally. Liver transplant (LT) recipients continue to be older and have inherently more comorbidities. Among these, cardiac disease is one of the three main causes of morbidity and mortality after LT. Several reasons exist including the high prevalence of associated risk factors, which can also be attributed to the rise in the proportion of patients undergoing LT for metabolic dysfunction-associated steatohepatitis (MASH). Additionally, as people age, the prevalence of now treatable cardiac conditions, including coronary artery disease (CAD), cardiomyopathies, significant valvular heart disease, pulmonary hypertension, and arrhythmias rises, making the need to treat these conditions critical to optimize outcomes. There is an emerging body of literature regarding CAD screening in patients with ESLD, however, there is a paucity of strong evidence to support the guidance regarding the management of cardiac conditions in the pre-LT and perioperative settings. This has resulted in significant variations in assessment strategies and clinical management of cardiac disease in LT candidates between transplant centres, which impacts LT candidacy based on a transplant centre's risk tolerance and comfort level for caring for patients with concomitant cardiac disease. Performing a comprehensive assessment and understanding the potential approaches to the management of ESLD patients with cardiac conditions may increase the acceptance of patients, who appear too complex, but rather require extra evaluation and may be reasonable candidates for LT. The unique physiology of ESLD can profoundly influence preoperative assessment, perioperative management, and outcomes associated with underlying cardiac pathology, and requires a thoughtful multidisciplinary approach. The strategies proposed in this manuscript attempt to review the latest expert experience and opinions and provide guidance to practicing clinicians who assess and treat patients being considered for LT. These topics also highlight the gaps that exist in the comprehensive care of LT patients and the need for future investigations in this field.

With the growth of the older adult population, the number of older adults waitlisted for and undergoing kidney and liver transplantation has increased. Transplantation is an important and definitive treatment for this population. We present a contemporary review of the unique preoperative, intraoperative, and postoperative issues that patients older than 65 y face when they undergo kidney or liver transplantation. We focus on geriatric syndromes that are common in older patients listed for kidney or liver transplantation including frailty, sarcopenia, and cognitive dysfunction; discuss important considerations for older transplant recipients, which may impact preoperative risk stratification; and describe unique challenges in intraoperative and postoperative management for older patients. Intraoperative challenges in the older adult include using evidence-based best anesthetic practices, maintaining adequate perfusion pressure, and using minimally invasive surgical techniques. Postoperative concerns include controlling acute postoperative pain; preventing cardiovascular complications and delirium; optimizing immunosuppression; preventing perioperative kidney injury; and avoiding nephrotoxicity and rehabilitation. Future studies are needed throughout the perioperative period to identify interventions that will improve patients' preoperative physiologic status, prevent postoperative medical complications, and improve medical and patient-centered outcomes in this vulnerable patient population.

Cardiac complications are the leading cause of morbidity and mortality in recipients of liver transplant (LT). Previous guidelines recommended stress testing to exclude coronary artery disease (CAD), although recent guidelines recommend coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). We aimed to assess the prevalence and predictors of CAD on CCTA and compare CCTA with stress testing in consecutive adult candidates for LT who underwent CAD noninvasive assessment between 2020 and 2023. Patients who underwent a stress test between January and December 2020 formed the stress cohort, and patients who underwent CCTA between January 2021 and September 2023 formed the CCTA cohort. There were 141 patients in the stress test cohort and 269 patients in the CCTA cohort. Stress test results were nondiagnostic or inconclusive in 18 patients (12.8%) whereas CCTA was nondiagnostic in 6 patients (2.2%). In patients evaluated with CCTA, mean coronary artery calcium (CAC) score was 332 ± 716 AU, with moderate or greater (>50%) stenosis in 33 patients (12.3%). New CAD was diagnosed in 158 patients (58.7%) using CCTA and in 5 patients (3.5%) using stress tests. Clinically actionable CAD (coronary artery calcium >100) on CCTA was present in 96 patients (35.7%). The number of CAD risk factors was associated with the presence of CAD on CCTA. In conclusion, there was a great burden of CAD, mainly nonobstructive, in a large cohort of candidates for LT who underwent CAD testing over a 4-year period. The current recommended risk-based evaluation of candidates for LT using CCTA as a first-line test was feasible and effective. Diagnosis of clinically actionable CAD on CCTA provides a vast opportunity for optimizing cardiac care in candidates for and recipients of LT.

The liver transplantation (LT) evaluation and waitlisting process is subject to variations in care that can impede quality. The American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) Practice Metrics Committee (PMC) developed quality measures and patient-reported experience measures along the continuum of pre-LT care to reduce care variation and guide patient-centered care. Following a systematic literature review, candidate pre-LT measures were grouped into 4 phases of care: referral, evaluation and waitlisting, waitlist management, and organ acceptance. A modified Delphi panel with content expertise in hepatology, transplant surgery, psychiatry, transplant infectious disease, palliative care, and social work selected the final set. Candidate patient-reported experience measures spanned domains of cognitive health, emotional health, social well-being, and understanding the LT process. Of the 71 candidate measures, 41 were selected: 9 for referral; 20 for evaluation and waitlisting; 7 for waitlist management; and 5 for organ acceptance. A total of 14 were related to structure, 17 were process measures, and 10 were outcome measures that focused on elements not typically measured in routine care. Among the patient-reported experience measures, candidates of LT rated items from understanding the LT process domain as the most important. The proposed pre-LT measures provide a framework for quality improvement and care standardization among candidates of LT. Select measures apply to various stakeholders such as referring practitioners in the community and LT centers. Clinically meaningful measures that are distinct from those used for regulatory transplant reporting may facilitate local quality improvement initiatives to improve access and quality of care.

To validate deep learning models' ability to predict post-transplantation major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) in patients undergoing liver transplantation (LT).

We used data from Optum's de-identified Clinformatics Data Mart Database to identify liver transplant recipients between January 2007 and March 2020. To predict post-transplantation MACE risk, we considered patients' demographics characteristics, diagnoses, medications, and procedural data recorded back to 3 years before the LT procedure date (index date). MACE is predicted using the bidirectional gated recurrent units (BiGRU) deep learning model in different prediction interval lengths up to 5 years after the index date. In total, 18,304 liver transplant recipients (mean age, 57.4 years [SD, 12.76]; 7158 [39.1%] women) were used to develop and test the deep learning model's performance against other baseline machine learning models. Models were optimized using 5-fold cross-validation on 80% of the cohort, and model performance was evaluated on the remaining 20% using the area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC-ROC) and the area under the precision-recall curve (AUC-PR).

Using different prediction intervals after the index date, the top-performing model was the deep learning model, BiGRU, and achieved an AUC-ROC of 0.841 (95% CI, 0.822-0.862) and AUC-PR of 0.578 (95% CI, 0.537-0.621) for a 30-day prediction interval after LT.

Using longitudinal claims data, deep learning models can efficiently predict MACE after LT, assisting clinicians in identifying high-risk candidates for further risk stratification or other management strategies to improve transplant outcomes based on important features identified by the model.

Coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA) is increasingly being used in the preoperative workup for liver transplantation (LT). We sought to assess the utility of integrating CCTA with the novel CAD-LT (Coronary Artery Disease in Liver Transplantation) score and its impact on reducing the need for invasive coronary angiography prior to LT.

We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients (age ≥ 18 years) who underwent CCTA for LT workup between 2011 and 2018 at the Victorian Liver Transplant Unit, Melbourne, Australia. CAD-LT scores, a traditional risk factor-based criteria, were calculated, and patients stratified as low-, intermediate- or high-risk.

Overall, 229 patients underwent CCTA. The mean age was 66 ± 5 years (82% male) with a modest-to-high risk factor burden (diabetes, 53%; hypertension, 46%; current or former smoker, 62%). The mean CAD-LT score of our cohort was 12.4 ± 4.0. No patients were classified as low-risk, 49 patients (21.4%) were deemed intermediate-risk and 180 patients (78.6%) were deemed high-risk. A high CAD-LT score (≥ 9) showed high sensitivity (95.3% [95% CI 86-98%]) and modest specificity (27.8% [95% CI 21-35%]) for the detection of obstructive coronary artery disease on CCTA, with a negative predictive value of 94%. Following multidisciplinary discussions, only 41 patients (18%) of patients proceeded to ICA of which 27% received percutaneous coronary intervention.

The use of CCTA in patients deemed intermediate- to high-risk by the CAD-LT score has the potential to reduce the need for invasive coronary angiography in patients undergoing LT workup.

Preoperative evaluation prior to listing for orthotopic liver transplantation (LT) requires a careful multidisciplinary approach with specialized teams including surgeons, hepatologists and anesthesiologists in order to improve short- and long-term clinical outcomes. Due to inadequate supply of donor organs and changing demographics, patients listed for LT have become older, sicker and share more comorbidities. As cardiovascular events are the leading cause for early mortality precise evaluation of risk factors is mandatory. This review focuses on the detection and management of coronary artery disease, cirrhotic cardiomyopathy, portopulmonary hypertension and hepatopulmonary syndrome in patients awaiting LT. Further insights are being given into scoring systems, patients with Acute-on-chronic-liver-failure (ACLF), frailty, NASH cirrhosis and into psychologic evaluation of patients with substance abuse.

Liver transplantation (LT) is the second most performed solid organ transplant. Coronary artery disease (CAD) is a critical consideration for LT candidacy, particularly in patients with known CAD or risk factors, including metabolic dysfunction associated with steatotic liver disease. The presence of severe CAD may exclude patients from LT; therefore, precise preoperative evaluation and interventions are necessary to achieve transplant candidacy. Cardiovascular complications represent the earliest nongraft-related cause of death post-transplantation. Timely intervention to reduce cardiovascular events depends on adequate CAD screening. Coronary disease screening in end-stage liver disease is challenging because standard noninvasive CAD screening tests have low sensitivity due to hyperdynamic state and vasodilatation. As a result, there is overuse of invasive coronary angiography to exclude severe CAD. Coronary artery calcium scoring using a computed tomography scan is a tool for the prediction of cardiovascular events, and can be used to achieve risk stratification in LT candidates. Recent literature shows that qualitative assessment on both noncontrast- and contrast-enhanced chest computed tomography can be used instead of calcium score to assess the presence of coronary calcium. With increasing prevalence, protocols to address CAD in LT candidates must be reconsidered. Percutaneous coronary intervention could allow a shorter duration of dual-antiplatelet therapy in simple lesions, with safer perioperative outcomes. Hybrid coronary revascularization is an option for high-risk LT candidates with multivessel disease nonamenable to percutaneous coronary intervention. The objective of this review is to evaluate existing methods for preoperative cardiovascular risk stratification, and to describe interventions before surgery to optimize patient outcomes and reduce cardiovascular event risk.

Echocardiographic findings may provide valuable information about the cardiac conditions in cirrhotic patients waiting for liver transplantation (LT). However, data on the ability of the different echocardiographic parameters to predict post-transplant risk of mortality are scarce and heterogeneous. This systematic review evaluates the role of different echocardiographic features as predictors of post-LT mortality. A meta-analysis was also performed according to the observed results.

A systematic review was conducted according to PRISMA guidelines. Medline (PubMed) database was searched through February 2023 for relevant published original articles reporting the prognostic value of echocardiographic findings associated with outcomes of adult LT recipients. The risk of bias in included articles was assessed using ROBINS-E tool. Methodological quality varied from low to high across the risk of bias domains.

Twenty-three studies were identified after the selection process; ten were enrollable for the meta-analyses. According to the results observed, the E/A ratio fashioned as a continuous value (HR = 0.43, 95%CI = 0.25-0.76; P = 0.003), and tricuspid regurgitation (HR = 2.36, 95%CI = 1.05-5.31; P = 0.04) were relevant predicting variables for post-LT death. Other echocardiographic findings failed to merge with statistical relevance.

Tricuspid regurgitation and left ventricular diastolic dysfunction play a role in the prediction of post-LT death. More studies are needed to clarify further the impact of these echocardiographic features in the transplantation setting.

Computed tomography coronary angiography (CTCA) is increasingly utilized for preoperative risk stratification before liver transplantation (LT). We sought to assess the predictors of advanced atherosclerosis on CTCA using the recently developed Coronary Artery Disease-Reporting and Data System (CAD-RADS) score and its impact on the prediction of long-term major adverse cardiovascular events (MACE) following LT. We conducted a retrospective cohort study of consecutive patients who underwent CTCA for LT work-up between 2011 and 2018. Advanced atherosclerosis was defined as coronary artery calcium scores > 400 or CAD-RADS score ≥ 3 (≥50% coronary artery stenosis). MACE was defined as myocardial infarction, heart failure, stroke, or resuscitated cardiac arrest. Overall, 229 patients underwent CTCA (mean age 66 ± 5 y, 82% male). Of these, 157 (68.5%) proceeded with LT. The leading etiology of cirrhosis was hepatitis (47%), and 53% of patients had diabetes before transplant. On adjusted analysis, male sex (OR 4.6, 95% CI 1.5-13.8, p = 0.006), diabetes (OR 2.2, 95% CI 1.2-4.2, p = 0.01) and dyslipidemia (OR 3.1, 95% CI 1.3-6.9, p = 0.005) were predictors of advanced atherosclerosis on CTCA. Thirty-two patients (20%) experienced MACE. At a median follow-up of 4 years, CAD-RADS ≥ 3, but not coronary artery calcium scores, was associated with a heightened risk of MACE (HR 5.8, 95% CI 1.6-20.6, p = 0.006). Based on CTCA results, 71 patients (31%) commenced statin therapy which was associated with a lower risk of all-cause mortality (HR 0.48, 95% CI 0.24-0.97, p = 0.04). The standardized CAD-RADS classification on CTCA predicted the occurrence of cardiovascular outcomes following LT, with a potential to increase the utilization of preventive cardiovascular therapies.

Liver transplantation (LT) is a life-saving therapeutic modality for patients with various advanced liver diseases. It is crucial to identify that the patient's illness is sufficiently advanced and unlikely to improve with medical management to justify the need for transplantation. At the same time, it is crucial to identify patients with comorbidities and far advanced disease that would result in an unacceptable outcome after LT. Specific care also is required before deciding on LT in the elderly, acute on chronic liver disease, patients with comorbidities, and hepatocellular carcinoma. Transplantation needs to be timed appropriately to avoid unnecessary LT and ensure that the decision is not left too late to avoid losing the patient without a transplant. Also, important is the decision as to when not to transplant. The current review explores some of these issues of contraindications and ineligibility for LT.

Positron emission tomography myocardial perfusion imaging (PET MPI) is a noninvasive diagnostic test capable of detecting coronary artery disease, structural heart disease, and myocardial flow reserve (MFR). We aimed to determine the prognostic utility of PET MPI to predict post-liver transplant (LT) major adverse cardiac events (MACE). Among the 215 LT candidates that completed PET MPI between 2015 and 2020, 84 underwent LT and had 4 biomarker variables of clinical interest on pre-LT PET MPI (summed stress and difference scores, resting left ventricular ejection fraction, global MFR). Post-LT MACE were defined as acute coronary syndrome, heart failure, sustained arrhythmia, or cardiac arrest within the first 12 months post-LT. Cox regression models were constructed to determine associations between PET MPI variable/s and post-LT MACE. The median LT recipient age was 58 years, 71% were male, 49% had NAFLD, 63% reported prior smoking, 51% had hypertension, and 38% had diabetes mellitus. A total of 20 MACE occurred in 16 patients (19%) at a median of 61.5 days post-LT. One-year survival of MACE patients was significantly lower than those without MACE (54% vs. 98%, p =0.001). On multivariate analysis, reduced global MFR ≤1.38 was associated with a higher risk of MACE [HR=3.42 (1.23-9.47), p =0.019], and every % reduction in left ventricular ejection fraction was associated with an 8.6% higher risk of MACE [HR=0.92 (0.86-0.98), p =0.012]. Nearly 20% of LT recipients experienced MACE within the first 12 months of LT. Reduced global MFR and reduced resting left ventricular ejection fraction on PET MPI among LT candidates were associated with increased risk of post-LT MACE. Awareness of these PET-MPI parameters may help improve cardiac risk stratification of LT candidates if confirmed in future studies.

We sought to assess the impact of transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) on patients that have both severe aortic stenosis (SAS) and liver cirrhosis on mortality at 365 days after index event. We identified 19,210 patients that met inclusion criteria using the TriNetX database, consisting of data from 58 large healthcare organizations collected between 1 January 2010 and 24 February 2022. Of those patients, 1,283 (3.2%) had SAS with liver cirrhosis that had a TAVR, and 19,210 (96.8%) had SAS with liver cirrhosis that did not have a TAVR. We analyzed the data to compare all-cause mortality at 365 days using the TriNetX web platform. In addition, we conducted propensity score matching (PSM) to reduce the effects of confounders between the two groups. Patients with SAS and liver cirrhosis that had a TAVR were older (72.4 ± 9.7 vs. 68.0 ± 11.8, P < 0.001), and they had higher rates of heart failure (71.2 vs. 34.5%, P < 0.001), coronary artery disease (72.0 vs. 31.2%, P < 0.001), diabetes (52.5 vs. 41.2%, P < 0.001), and chronic kidney disease (43.8 vs. 30.1%, P < 0.001) compared with patients with SAS and liver cirrhosis without TAVR. PSM created two well-matched cohorts of 1,269 patients each. The TAVR group had a lower mortality rate compared with the no TAVR group (22.5 vs. 34.8%, P < 0.0001) at 365 days. This was confirmed using a log-rank test. Given these data, it appears that there is a mortality benefit associated with TAVR in patients with SAS and liver cirrhosis.NEW & NOTEWORTHY Risk calculators used to predict unfavorable surgical outcomes could flag a patient as ineligible for transcatheter aortic valve replacement (TAVR) based on the presence of liver cirrhosis. Our data analysis suggests that performing a TAVR to treat severe aortic stenosis in patients with liver cirrhosis could decrease their mortality risk as opposed to not performing a TAVR. Careful consideration should be given to this patient population to ensure the best quality of life and long-term outcome.

Pioneered by Thomas Starzl in the early 1970s, liver transplant (LT) is nowadays often considered a final intervention and standard of care to cure many forms of acute and chronic end-stage liver diseases. Started in recipients younger than 60 years old, LT indications are now much broader, and at least, one-fifth of the candidates are older than 65 years. Problems associated with ageing and frailty in LT recipients and their impact on the entire perioperative course are discussed according to a modern anesthesiological perspective and the anesthesiologist covering the role of the perioperative (transplant) physician.

Acute-on-chronic liver failure (ACLF) is a clinical syndrome defined by an acute deterioration of the liver function associated with extrahepatic organ failures requiring intensive care support and associated with a high short-term mortality. ACLF has emerged as a major cause of mortality in patients with cirrhosis and chronic liver disease. ACLF has a unique pathophysiology in which systemic inflammation plays a key role; this provides the basis of novel therapies, several of which are now in clinical trials. Intensive care unit (ICU) therapy parallels that applied in the general ICU population in some organ failures but has peculiar differential characteristics in others. Critical care management strategies and the option of liver transplantation (LT) should be balanced with futility considerations in those with a poor prognosis. Nowadays, LT is the only life-saving treatment that can radically improve the long-term prognosis of patients with ACLF. This narrative review will provide insights on the current understanding of ACLF with emphasis on intensive care management.

Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) are the leading cause of early (<1 y) complications after liver transplantation (LT). NASH, the leading indication for waitlisting for LT, is associated with high cardiac risk factor burden. The contemporary prevalence and temporal trends in pretransplant cardiac risk factor burden and post-LT MACE among LT recipients (LTRs) with and without NASH are unknown. The aim of this study was to evaluate (1) the evolution of post-LT cardiac risk factors in LTRs over time and (2) post-LT MACE over time, stratified by NASH status. This is a retrospective cohort of 1775 adult LTRs at a single transplant center (2003-2020). MACE was defined as death or hospitalization from myocardial infarction, revascularization, stroke, heart failure during the first post-LT year. Between 2003 and 2020, there was a significant increase in pre-LT NASH ( ptrend <0.05). There was also a significant increase in pre-LT obesity, atherosclerotic cardiovascular (CV) disease, and older age (≥65 y old) ( ptrend <0.05 for all). There was no significant change in the proportion of LTRs with diabetes, chronic kidney disease, or heart failure. Unexpectedly, there were no changes in the rate of post-LT MACE over the study period (-0.1% per year, ptrend =0.44). The lack of change in MACE despite an increase in CV risk factor prevalence may reflect advancement in the identification and management of CV risk factors in LTRs. With projected continued increase in cardiac risk burden and the proportion of patients transplanted for NASH, it is critical for LT programs to develop and implement quality improvement efforts to optimize CV care in LTRs.

Liver transplant(ation) (LT) is the most effective treatment for patients with decompensated liver disease. The increasing prevalence of obesity and type 2 diabetes and the growing number of patients with non-alcoholic fatty liver disease being evaluated for LT, have resulted in a greater proportion of LT candidates presenting with a higher risk of cardiovascular disease. As cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after LT, a thorough cardiovascular evaluation pre-LT is crucial. In this review, we discuss the latest evidence on the cardiovascular evaluation of LT candidates and we focus on the most prevalent conditions, namely ischaemic heart disease, atrial fibrillation and other arrhythmias, valvular heart disease, and cardiomyopathies. LT candidates undergo an electrocardiogram, a resting transthoracic echocardiography and an assessment of their cardiopulmonary functional ability as part of their standardised pre-LT work-up. Further diagnostic work-up is undertaken based on the results of the baseline evaluation and may include a coronary computed tomography angiography in patients with cardiovascular risk factors. The evaluation of potential LT candidates for cardiovascular disease requires a multidisciplinary approach, with input from anaesthetists, cardiologists, hepatologists and transplant surgeons.

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Liver transplantation (LT) candidates frequently have multiple cardiovascular risk factors, and cardiovascular disease is a major cause of morbidity and mortality after LT. Coronary artery calcium (CAC) scores are a noninvasive assessment of coronary artery disease using computed tomography. This study examines CAC scores and cardiac risk factors and their association with outcomes after LT.

Patients who underwent LT between January 2010 and June 2019 with a pretransplant CAC score were included in this study. Patients were divided by CAC score into 4 groups (CAC score 0, CAC score 1-100, CAC score 101-400, CAC score >400). Major adverse cardiovascular events (MACEs) were defined as myocardial infarction, stroke, revascularization, heart failure, atrial fibrillation, and cardiovascular death. Associations between CAC score and MACE or all-cause mortality within the 5-y post-LT follow-up period were analyzed using Cox regression. Statistical significance was defined as P < 0.05.

During the study period, 773 adult patients underwent their first LT, and 227 patients met our study criteria. The median follow-up time was 3.4 (interquartile range 1.9, 5.3) y. After 5 y, death occurred in 47 patients (20.7%) and MACE in 47 patients (20.7%). In multivariable analysis, there was no difference in death between CAC score groups. There was significantly higher risk of MACE in the CAC score >400 group, with a hazard ratio 2.58 (95% confidence interval 1.05, 6.29).

CAC score was not associated with all-cause mortality. Patients with CAC score >400 had an increase in MACEs within the 5-y follow-up period compared with patients with a CAC score = 0. Further research with larger cohorts is needed to examine cardiac risk stratification in this vulnerable patient population.

Due to the demographic changes and the increasing incidence of chronic, especially nutritively toxic liver diseases, the number of patients over 65 years of age with indications for liver transplantation is rising considerably. Patient age alone is not a contraindication for organ transplantation; however, in order to ensure the postoperative outcome, a structured interdisciplinary assessment is necessary, especially in older potential organ recipients. With knowledge of comorbidities, individualized prehabilitation enables the perioperative risk to be minimized. The postoperative morbidity in aged patients appears to be comparable to that of younger patients, especially after careful evaluation. Overall, there is a clear survival advantage compared with the best conservative treatment for liver disease. In addition to the perioperative procedure, differences in follow-up care and long-term outcome should also be considered. In this context, predominantly the pharmacological peculiarities, such as polypharmacy and the mutual influence of immunosuppression and comorbidities, have to be taken into account. In addition to old organ recipients, livers from old donors (so-called marginal organs) increasingly play a crucial role in transplantation medicine due to the organ shortage. These are more susceptible to ischemia reperfusion injury and thus put the recipient at a higher risk for delayed or lack of organ function recovery. New ethical issues are raised by the increasing age of donors and recipients, complicating decision making about organ acceptance or rejection for the transplantation physician.

Coronary heart disease is an important source of mortality and morbidity among kidney transplantation and liver transplantation candidates and recipients and is driven by traditional and nontraditional risk factors related to end-stage organ disease. In this scientific statement, we review evidence from the past decade related to coronary heart disease screening and management for kidney and liver transplantation candidates. Coronary heart disease screening in asymptomatic kidney and liver transplantation candidates has not been demonstrated to improve outcomes but is common in practice. Risk stratification algorithms based on the presence or absence of clinical risk factors and physical performance have been proposed, but a high proportion of candidates still meet criteria for screening tests. We suggest new approaches to pretransplantation evaluation grounded on the presence or absence of known coronary heart disease and cardiac symptoms and emphasize multidisciplinary engagement, including involvement of a dedicated cardiologist. Noninvasive functional screening methods such as stress echocardiography and myocardial perfusion scintigraphy have limited accuracy, and newer noninvasive modalities, especially cardiac computed tomography-based tests, are promising alternatives. Emerging evidence such as results of the 2020 International Study of Comparative Health Effectiveness With Medical and Invasive Approaches-Chronic Kidney Disease trial emphasizes the vital importance of guideline-directed medical therapy in managing diagnosed coronary heart disease and further questions the value of revascularization among asymptomatic kidney transplantation candidates. Optimizing strategies to disseminate and implement best practices for medical management in the broader end-stage organ disease population should be prioritized to improve cardiovascular outcomes in these populations.

The authors aimed to identify predictors of new-onset postoperative atrial fibrillation (POAF) during the initial 90 days following liver transplantation, and to assess the association between POAF in-hospital and 1-year mortality.

A retrospective cohort study.

At a university hospital between 2005 and 2017.

Adults without a history of preoperative atrial fibrillation who underwent orthotopicliver transplantation.

The authors assessed the univariate association between new-onset of POAF in the postoperative period and each potential factor through a logistic regression model. Moreover, they explored predictors for POAF through stepwise selection. Finally, the authors assessed the relationship between POAF and in-hospital and 1-year mortality using logistic regression models, and whether the duration of atrial fibrillation was associated with in-hospital and 1-year mortality. Among 857 patients, 89 (10.4%) developed POAF. Using only preoperative variables, pulmonary hypertension, age, Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score, and White race were identified as the most important predictors. Model discrimination was 0.75 (95% CI: 0.69-0.80), and incorporating intraoperative variables was 0.77 (95% CI: 0.72-0.82). In-hospital mortality was observed in 7.2% (6/83) of patients with new-onset of POAF, and in 2.8% (22/768) without, with confounder-adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.00 (97.5% CI: 0.29,3.45; p = 0.996). One-year mortality was 22.4% (20/89) in patients who developed POAF and 8.3% (64/768) in patients who did not, confounder-adjusted OR 2.64 (97.5% CI: 1.35-5.16; p = 0.001). The duration of POAF did not affect long-term postoperative mortality.

Preoperative, mostly unmodifiable comorbidities are important risk factors for new-onset POAF after liver transplantation. The POAF was not associated with in-hospital mortality, but with increased 1-year mortality. Once developed, the duration of POAF did not affect long-term mortality after a liver transplant.

Cardiovascular disease contributes to a high rate of morbidity and mortality after liver transplantation (LT). However, the progression of cardiac function and cardiac remodeling in LT recipients remains poorly understood. This study sought to evaluate the progression of cardiac function and structure in LT recipients and identify independent predictors of prognosis using echocardiography.

From 2009 to 2019, 178 adult LT recipients at a tertiary academic transplant center were retrospectively studied. Transthoracic echocardiograms 1-year pre- and post-LT were assessed. Primary outcomes were progression of systolic and diastolic function. Secondary outcomes included left ventricular remodeling, all-cause mortality, and heart failure readmission post-LT. Subgroup analyzes were performed for etiology of native liver disease. A multivariable model was constructed to examine independent predictors of outcomes.

Systolic function significantly worsened, with reduction in stroke volume (45-37 ml/m² , p < .001), left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) (65%-62%, p < .001) and cardiac index (3.00-2.60 L/min/m² , p < .001). Conversely, there were significant improvements in diastolic indices, including tricuspid regurgitation V_max (228-215 cm/s, p = .017), left atrial volume index (LAVI) (32-26 ml/m² , p < .001) and right ventricular systolic pressure (RVSP) (31-28 mmHg, p = .001). Additionally, patients had increased relative wall thickness (RWT) (p < .001) and decreased left ventricular end-diastolic dimension/body surface area (p < .001) post-LT. The independent predictors for all-cause mortality and heart failure were increased pre-LT mitral annular early diastolic velocity (HR 1.11, CI 1.02-1.22, p = .018), LAVI (HR 1.06, CI 1.02-1.11, p = .007) and decreased LVEF (HR .89, CI .82-.97, p = .006). The effect of non-alcoholic steatohepatitis on cardiovascular outcomes post-LT was largely comparable to that of Hepatitis B.

This study showed reduced systolic and improved diastolic function in LT recipients and highlighted the utility of pre-LT echocardiogram in the prognostication and risk stratification of LT candidates.