Arterial-Pressure-Based Cardiac Output Analysis Reveals the Usefulness of Pericardiocentesis

Cardiac tamponade can develop as a complication of pericardial effusion and needs urgent invasive intervention, such as pericardiocentesis.1,2 Reports on hemodynamic changes during pericardiocentesis in humans are limited. Previous studies have measured changes in cardiac output (CO) and stroke volume (SV) using invasive pulmonary artery catheterization, once the pericardial effusion has been treated. More recently developed techniques, such as the FloTrac/Vigileo system (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA), enable continuous measurement of CO and SV less invasively, using pulse contour analysis.

Source: Journal of Cardiothoracic and Vascular Anesthesia - February 4, 2015 Category: Anesthesiology Authors: Masahiro Yamazoe, Atsushi Mizuno, Yutaro Nishi, Koichiro Niwa Tags: Letters To The Editor Source Type: research