[Evaluation of possible measuring errors from overlaying pressure components in invasive blood pressure recording...

Invasive arterial blood pressure measurement using external transducers is a routine measure in intensive care medicine and anaesthesiology. Despite the frequency of its use, measuring errors may occur that can strongly affect the significance of the results. The error with the greatest influence on blood pressure measurement arises from an inadequate dynamic behaviour of the measuring chain, and has been investigated in numerous publications. Measuring errors due to hydrostatic and dynamic pressure have not been considered to date. The present investigation describes an analysis of such measuring errors and possible ways of avoiding them. A side-hole catheter permits pressure measurements to be made without the measuring error caused by dynamic pressure behaviour. However, both analytical and experimental studies revealed that, since the velocities involved are small, this error is negligible in blood pressure measurements, and the increased cost of such catheters is therefore not justified. Measuring error due to hydrostatic pressure can be eliminated by using a zero point compensator. Such a compensator that permits vertical changes in the position of the patient without the need for manual resetting of the zero point has now been developed. However, the clinical test showed that the advantages offered by the zero point compensator again do not justify the increased cost. Furthermore, lateral changes in the patient's position during its use can lead to erroneous measurements.