Patients with cirrhosis often exhibit abnormalities in cardiovascular regulation and oxygenation. Many of these patients are treated with ß-blockers and aldosterone antagonists that may influence the regulation of systemic haemodynamics, but the specific effects on systemic haemodynamics and oxygenation are less studied. We therefore investigated systemic haemodynamics and oxygenation in patients with cirrhosis before and after 3 weeks of treatment with propranolol or spironolactone.