Analysis of actual accuracy in cardiac output measurements by means of thermodilution

The essential examination in hemodynamic monitoring of the patient is the cardiac output (CO) measurement. Nowadays, in clinical practice the most popular method is indicator dilution, particularly thermodilution. It is realized by applying the Swan-Ganz catheter and observing changes of the indicat...

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Bibliographic Details
Published in:Bulletin of the Polish Academy of Sciences. Technical sciences 2012-12, Vol.60 (3), p.581-587
Main Authors: Gawlikowski, M., Pustelny, T.
Format: Article
Language:English
Subjects:
cardiac output
hemodynamics monitoring
thermodilution
Online Access:Get full text
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Summary:The essential examination in hemodynamic monitoring of the patient is the cardiac output (CO) measurement. Nowadays, in clinical practice the most popular method is indicator dilution, particularly thermodilution. It is realized by applying the Swan-Ganz catheter and observing changes of the indicator concentration. This method is sensitive to many factors and the obtained results should be treated cautiously. The paper presents theoretical and experimental studies of metrological phenomena in CO measurements by means of thermodilution, paying special attention to medical aspects of the measurements. It has been pointed out that the actual unreliability of the mentioned method reaches values from 20% to 45%, which is in opposition to the technical data of patient’s monitors (typical accuracy about 5%).
ISSN:0239-7528
2300-1917
DOI:10.2478/v10175-012-0069-7