The Anatomic Structure of Pulmonary Arteries as a Source of Unreliability in Thermodilution Cardiac Output Measurement
M. Gawlikowski a, T. Pustelny a, B. Przywara-Chowaniec b and P. Struk a
a Division of Mathematics and Physics, Silesian Technical University, Krzywoustego 2, 44-100 Gliwice, Poland
b II Clinic of Cardiology, Silesian Medical University, Sklodowskiej-Curie 10, 41-800 Zabrze, Poland
Full Text PDF
One of the most fundamental examination in intensive care medicine is cardiac output measurement, realized by pulmonary artery catherization. The thermodilution cardiac output estimation method is not resistant to various kinds of disturbances, which significantly decreases its sensitivity and specificity. The paper depicts investigations related to analysis of presumable new source of unreliability - asymmetric blood flow through pulmonary vessels. The investigations consisted of two phases: clinical examination (to obtain anatomical data) and computer modeling (to simulate the flow symmetry).
DOI: 10.12693/APhysPolA.114.A-81
PACS numbers: 47.63.Cb, 07.05.Tp, 87.19.Uv