Abstract
We read with great interest the article by Vetrugno et al. who reported
the important association of preoperative diastolic dysfunction (DD) and
early liver allograft dysfunction.[1](#ref-0001) We salute the
authors on this detailed and important investigation, and would like to
highlight several points. First, the authors provide the cohort analysis
of donors’ and recipients’ demographic variables (Table 1,
Ref[1](#ref-0001)), however statistical comparative analysis of the
three study groups and these variables is absent. Moreover, additional,
important demographic variables (e.g., ethnicity, presence of trans
jugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt; hepato-pulmonary syndrome,
porto-pulmonary hypertension, pretransplant hospitalization or
vasopressors; QT interval) and intraoperative variables (e.g.,
hemoglobin, coagulative and thromboelastographic parameters,
arrhythmias, immunosuppression, and post-reperfusion syndrome and
vasopressors) were not included in the groups’ analysis (Table 4,
Ref[1](#ref-0001)). These parameters are predictive of
postoperative major adverse cardiac events and unfavorable transplant
outcomes.[2,3](#ref-0002) Lastly, an association does not imply
causation,[4](#ref-0004) and both DD and early graft dysfunction
may have an independent, common origin like cirrhotic
cardiomyopathy.[5](#ref-0005) An adjustment for cofounders is,
therefore, mandatory; regrettably, the omission of a multivariable
analysis from the study obfuscates the interpretation of the observed
association. Presumably, DD results in early allograft rejection and
dysfunction via the attendant elevated pro-inflammatory cytokines, or
increased venous pressure and hepatic allograft
congestion.[6](#ref-0006) Postoperative cardiac variables (e.g.,
troponins, sono- and electrocardiography, venous and pulmonary
pressures) and allograft biopsies were not reported in the study, but
may direct clinicians to mitigating interventions to improve outcomes in
liver allograft recipients with DD.