Liver-lung interactions are common in daily clinical practice. However, frequently they are not the focus of clinical attention. For example, 10% of patients with acute-on-chronic liver failure and more than 30% of patients with advanced stages of acute-on-chronic liver failure suffer from respiratory failure. Conversely, up to 20% of critically ill patients develop secondary liver failure as a consequence of cardiopulmonary diseases or sepsis during their stay in the intensive care unit. This article provides an overview of clinically relevant liver-lung interactions, consecutively acquired pulmonary and hepatic diseases and the therapeutic implications.
Keywords: Hepatopulmonary syndrome; Liver cirrhosis; Liver failure; Pneumonia; Respiratory failure.