Odilson M Silvestre, Alberto Q Farias, Danusa S Ramos, Meive S Furtado, Ana C Rodrigues, Rafael O Ximenes, Daniel F de Campos Mazo, Patricia M Yoshimura Zitelli, Marcio A Diniz, José L Andrade, Celia Strunz, Antônio A Friedmann, Samuel S Lee, Flair J Carrilho, Luiz A C D'Albuquerque, Fernando Bacal
BACKGROUND: Cirrhotic cardiomyopathy is characterized by an attenuated contractile response to stress. Long-term exposure of β-adrenergic receptors to persistently high levels of catecholamines has been implicated in its pathogenesis. We hypothesized that β-blockade with metoprolol could reverse the changes in heart function and morphology in cirrhotic cardiomyopathy. PATIENTS AND METHODS: In this prospective randomized trial, we included 78 patients aged between 18 and 60 years with abnormal cardiac output response under dobutamine stress echocardiography, without primary cardiac disease or a history of alcohol intake...
August 2018: European Journal of Gastroenterology & Hepatology