Automated Stroke Volume with Cardiac Output Monitor

This Phase I study will demonstrate the feasibility of combining a catheter-based automated thermodoutput technique with a truly continuous measurement of flow and velocity to provide accurate quantibeat-to-beat stroke volume. A catheter/ instrument system will be developed to continuously acquirewaveforms in the pulmonary artery. These waveforms, when integrated over a cardiac cycle, are proporstroke volume. The system will be periodically calibrated in situ by using a newly-developed continucardiac output measurement system to correctly scale the instantaneous velocity waveforms over a givinterval so as to produce instantaneous flow waveforms. Cardiac output is the fundamental performancassessing the status of the heart. In the USA, the 1.3 million Swan-Ganz bolus thermodilution cathetbeing progressively replaced with automated thermodilution catheter systems now entering the market.catheter -instrument system has the potential for making a significant contribution to cardiac critiby providing the stroke volume measurement at a small fraction of the cost now routinely required whvia one of the expensive imaging modalities in the management of unstable cardiac patients. There ismore sensitive and timely hemodynamic monitoring of critically ill patients. With growing acceptancecontinuous cardiac output monitoring, the integrated continuous cardiac output stroke volume cathetecommercial potential use in critical care units, cardiac catheterization laboratories, cardiovasculaelectrophysiology testing labs, etc.