Impact of cardiac output imprecision on the clinical interpretation of haemodynamic variables in the cardiac catheterisation laboratory

There is continuing concern over the accuracy and precision of cardiac output (CO) determinations [1,2]. Current guidelines require new CO monitoring devices to have a 2SD-precision of 20% (i.e. approximately 95% of measurements within 20% of their mean), which is equivalent to the averaged result of three bolus thermodilution CO measurements applied randomly over the respiratory cycle. A CO determination is the average of a number of measurements, and the greater the measurement error in CO, the greater the error transmitted to calculations of CO-derived hemodynamic variables such as stroke volume and vascular resistance.
Source: International Journal of Cardiology - Category: Cardiology Authors: Tags: Correspondence Source Type: research