Comparison of electrical velocimetry and thermodilution techniques for the measurement of cardiac output
Authors: Zoremba; Bickenbach1; Krauss1; Rossaint1; Kuhlen2; Schälte1
Source: Acta Anaesthesiologica Scandinavica, Volume 51, Number 10, November 2007 , pp. 1314-1319(6)
Publisher: Blackwell Publishing
Abstract:
Aim: To compare a new method of non-invasive determination of cardiac output based on electrical velocimetry (EV-CO) with invasive thermodilution methods. Methods: Fifty critically ill patients were enrolled into the study. EV-CO was compared with cardiac output measured by a pulmonary artery catheter (PA-CO) in one group (n= 25) and by a femoral artery catheter (PiCCO-CO) in a second group (n= 25), by simultaneous measurements. Standard electrocardiography electrodes were used for non-invasive measurements, and EV-CO was calculated using the Bernstein-Osypka equation. The invasive measurements of PA-CO and PiCCO-CO were made by the injection of iced 0.9% saline and the recording of thermodilution curves. Results: The precision values of EV-CO, PA-CO and PiCCO-CO measurements were ± 0.46 [95% confidence interval (95% CI), ± 0.06], ± 0.57 (95% CI, ± 0.09) and ± 0.48 l/min (95% CI, ± 0.08 l/min), respectively. The mean differences between EV-CO and PA-CO or PiCCO-CO were -0.05 ± 0.71 and 0.22 ± 0.78 l/min, respectively. The lower and upper limits of agreement for the comparison of EV-CO with PA-CO were −1.47 and 1.37 l/min (95% CI, ± 0.25 l/min), respectively. In the comparison of EV-CO and PiCCO-CO, lower and upper limits of -1.34 and 1.78 l/min (95% CI, ± 0.27 l/min) were found. The percentage errors between EV-CO and PA-CO or PiCCO-CO were 26.5% and 26.4%, respectively. Conclusions: The values of cardiac output were statistically comparable between the groups. Therefore, electrical velocimetry is a suitable method to evaluate haemodynamic variables with clinically acceptable accuracy.Keywords: Cardiac output; electrical velocimetry; PiCCO; pulmonary artery catheter
Document Type: Research article
DOI: 10.1111/j.1399-6576.2007.01445.x
Affiliations: 1: Anaesthesiology, University Hospital RWTH Aachen, Aachen 2: Department of Intensive Care Medicine, Helios Klinikum Berlin Buch, Berlin, Germany

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