DOI: 10.5176/2382-5669_CCMR14.02
Authors: Tan Seng Sing and Ng Chin Tiong
Abstract:
Measurement of blood flow rate is essential in assessing the cardiovascular status of patients with coronary artery diseases during treatments. This paper presents a new method of measuring continuous cardiac output using a five-lumen catheter integrated with a heat exchanger attached at the distal end. Cooled fluid is infused in the heat exchanger inserted in the superior vena cava to extract a small amount of heat to determine the returning blood flow rate into the heart. By correlating the parameters of fluid temperature with the blood flow rate, we can determine the real-time continuous cardiac output through measuring the fluid temperature alone. In a pre-clinical animal trial to verify this newly developed catheter together with a control article using a Swan-Ganz catheter, it was ascertained that this new approach was very much responsive, detecting changes of cardiac output almost immediately. The readings of the test article correlated reasonably well with the control article (R=0.777). Such an approach does not alter the blood composition or heating in the vascular system, making it an attractive option to be considered.
Keywords: Continuous cardiac output; Blood flow rate; Coronary artery disease; Heat exchanger
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