Comparison of heart minute volume measured with the standard method (pulmonalis catheter) with a new method using the arterial wave form in groin or at the wrist in serious sick patients in the intensive care.

During the progress of organ failure in critical ill patients often it is unclear whether the patient is adequately fluid resuscitated. To facilitate optimal fluid resuscitation cardiac output is measured by either using an invasive pulmonary artery catheter or a less invasive device. A new minimal invasive technique has become available. Cardiac output measured by arterial pressure waveform (APCO) analysis without manual calibration, the FloTrac/VigileoTM system Edwards Lifesciences. Since its launch there have been three software updates. The cardiac output derived from the arterial waveform analysis of the two latest versions showed good agreements when compared to pulmonary artery catheter under stable haemodynamic conditions [1,2]. In septic shock the bias has been improved with introduction of the 1.10 version of the software (unpublished data). Only recently the newest software version has been released (3.02).

The aim of the study is to determine whether cardiac output measurements obtained using APCO are comparable with those obtained using intermitted thermodilution cardiac output in critical ill patients.

The aim of the study is to determine whether cardiac output measurements obtained using APCO are comparable with those obtained using intermitted thermodilution cardiac output in critical ill patients.

Power analysis after 8 patients.

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