Concepts and technical considerations of pulmonary artery catheter

Description

Pulmonary artery catheters are extremely useful in the critically ill patient since not only can PAOP and cardiac output be measured but also the derived parameters, such as systemic and pulmonary vascular resistance and cardiac work, can be used to guide therapy. Clinical applications of these catheters have widened to include oximetry (mixed venous oxygen saturation), pacing and right ventricular ejection fraction. Modification of therapy as a result of information derived from the pulmonary artery catheter data has been reported to improve the outcome and shorten the hospital stay. This presentation highlights the indications,method of insertion and calculations of various indices from the pulmonary artery catheter.