Liver cirrhosis has emerged as a serious risk factor for cardiac surgery due to the higher mortality and morbidity that these patients display compared with the non-cirrhotic cardiac surgery population. Child-Pugh classification and model for end-stage liver disease score( MELD) score are useful to assess perioperative risk in patients with cirrhosis. According to recent research, cardiac surgery could be offered to patients with Child-Pugh A and a low MELD score with only mild increase in the risk of mortality. However, for patients with more advanced cirrhosis, risk of mortality is extremely high. To decrease mortality, careful patient selection, meticulous consideration of surgical strategy and perioperative treatment are vital for the recovery of cirrhotic patients.