Abstracts of the 2022 Annual Meeting of the ALEH
More infoHepatopulmonary Syndrome (HPS) is a chronic and irreversible disease caused by systemic changes associated with portal hypertension, which greatly compromises patients' expectations and quality of life. It is associated with an increase in morbidity and mortality regardless of the degree of liver dysfunction. Data on the accuracy of the diagnosis of HPS in cirrhosis is limited. This study aimed to analyze the prevalence of HPS in cirrhotic patients at our service and to correlate it with oxygen saturation (SatO2) using a pulse oximeter to evaluate if this is useful as a screening test for HPS.
Materials and MethodsA prospective study was conducted in consecutive patients with hepatic cirrhosis, followed up on demand and selected from November 1, 2021, to May 31, 2022. All the patients underwent an oxygen saturation measurement by pulse oximetry and arterial blood gas analysis. The relationship between SatO2 and HPS was assessed.
Resultsa total of 29 patients with clinically confirmed cirrhosis were analyzed, 16 (56%) male patients. Twenty-six (90%) patients had no symptoms related to HPS and 5 (17%) had arterial blood gas analysis criteria for HPS. The alcoholic etiology of cirrhosis was the most prevalent (52%). The mean age was 59 years. Twenty-two (76%) patients were classified as Child Pugh A and 7 (24%) as Child Pugh B. The relationship between HPS and SatO2 did not show statistical significance.
ConclusionsOxygen saturation alone was not able to detect HPS in the sample of cirrhotic patients. More accurate methods for screening and diagnosis of the syndrome should be used.
