Midodrine in Liver Cirrhosis With Ascites: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Ascites is the most common complication of liver cirrhosis. Midodrine is a vasoconstrictor that improves splanchnic and systemic hemodynamics, reduces ascites, and improves clinical outcomes. Here, we aimed to examine the role of midodrine in cirrhosis-related ascites. Scopus, Embase, PubMed, and PubMed Central databases were searched for relevant randomized controlled trials comparing midodrine with other interventions in patients with cirrhotic ascites on November 25, 2020, using appropriate keywords like “midodrine”, “ascitic cirrhosis”, “peritoneal paracentesis” and suitable Boolean operators. Odds ratio (OR) and mean difference (MD) were used to analyze pool data as appropriate with a 95% confident interval (CI). A total of 14 studies were included in our analysis including 1199 patients. The addition of midodrine resulted in statistically significant improvement in mean arterial pressure (MAP) (MD, 3.95 mmHg; 95% CI, 1.53-6.36) and MELD (Model for End-Stage Liver Disease) score (MD, -1.27; 95% CI, -2.49 to -0.04) compared to standard medical treatment (SMT). There was also a significant improvement in plasma renin activity and plasma aldosterone concentration. However, there was no significant improvement in mortality or serum creatinine compared to SMT. In addition, there was no statistically significant improvement in MAP, plasma renin activity, plasma aldosterone concentration, MELD score, overall mortality, and paracentesis-induced circulatory dysfunction comparing midodrine with albumin. Midodrine alone leads to significant improvement in various clinical parameters in patients with cirrhotic ascites compared to standard medical care. At the same time, it was found to be non-inferior to albumin. Therefore, further well-designed studies need to be carried out on midodrine in addition to albumin for optimal clinical benefits among patients with ascites due to cirrhosis.