medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.20.21249506; this version posted January 20, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license . Heart Rate Variability in Patients with Cirrhosis: A Systematic Review and Meta-analysis Tope Oyelade1* (
[email protected]), Gabriele Canciani2, Gabriele Carbone2, Jaber Alqahtani3,4, Kevin Moore1, Ali R. Mani1. 1. Institute for Liver and Digestive Health, Division of Medicine, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK. 2. School of Medicine, La Sapienza University, Rome 00185, Italy. 3. Respiratory Medicine, Division of Medicine, University College London, London NW3 2PF, UK. 4. Department of Respiratory Care, Prince Sultan Military College of Health Sciences, Dammam, Saudi Arabia. * Corresponding Author NOTE: This preprint reports new research that has not been certified by peer review and should not be used to guide clinical practice. medRxiv preprint doi: https://doi.org/10.1101/2021.01.20.21249506; this version posted January 20, 2021. The copyright holder for this preprint (which was not certified by peer review) is the author/funder, who has granted medRxiv a license to display the preprint in perpetuity. It is made available under a CC-BY-ND 4.0 International license . Abstract: Background: Cirrhosis is associated with abnormal autonomic function and regulation of cardiac rhythm. Measurement of heart rate variability (HRV) provides an accurate and non-invasive measurement of autonomic function as well as liver disease severity currently calculated using the MELD, UKELD, or ChildPugh scores.