Monitoring of cardiac output by pulse contour method

A pulse contour method for cardiac output determination was evaluated in sixteen cardiac surgery patients. Stroke volume was derived from the aortic pressure waveform by means of a formula developed by Wesseling and was calculated with an in-built computer (Philips cardiac output module). The method was used for continuous postoperative monitoring and was compared with thermodilution cardiac output determinations. The overall comparison of data (71 simultaneous measurements) yielded a correlation coefficient of 0.78 (regression y = 0.81 x + 1.07 liter) (p less than 0.001). Advantages and disadvantages of the pulse contour method are discussed.