[Principles, usefulness, and limitations of recent circulatory monitoring]

Less invasive measuring procedures for hemodynamic status and function are increasingly being used. Surgical patients are frequently undifferentiated, need accurate risk assessment and stratification, while their need for diagnosis and therapy is often time-critical. Valid, less invasive hemodynamic monitoring modalities are essential to differentiate high- from low-risk patients, and for goal-directed management. Pulmonary artery catheters, transesophageal echocardiography, pressure pulse waveform analysis, and other less invasive monitoring techniques all are potentially effective for diagnosis and hemodynamic monitoring. This article provides information on the usefulness and limitations of recent circulatory monitoring procedures.