Indication and perioperative management for cardiac surgery in patients with liver cirrhosis. Our experience with 3 patients.

Three patients with noncardiac Child A cirrhosis underwent cardiac surgery. All survived surgery, but 2 died during follow-up periods. A 61-year-old woman who underwent successful double valve replacement died of diabetic coma and severe acidosis due to intestinal necrosis 18 months later. A 57-year-old woman who underwent successful mitral valve replacement died of liver failure induced by heart failure 9 years later. A 45-year-old man who underwent coronary artery bypass grafting is doing well 18 months after discharge. Proper perioperative management, including high-flow cardiopulmonary bypass, pharmacological and mechanical circulatory support, and mechanical respiratory support prevented further, potentially lethal, hepatic dysfunction, leading to good early surgical results. We concluded that patients with Child A cirrhosis could tolerate cardiac surgery. Subsequent surgical results, however, were unsatisfactory, and more careful follow-up is necessary to obtain better late results.