Noninvasive, Automated and Continuous Cardiac Output Monitoring by Pulmonary Capnodynamics

Abstract

Background Cardiac output monitoring is most important where cardiovascular stability is potentially threatened, such as during major surgery and in critically ill patients. However, continuous monitoring of cardiac output is still not performed routinely during anesthesia and critical care, because of invasiveness, expense, and inaccuracy of available technologies. Methods A technique termed the capnodynamic method was tested for breath-to-breath measurement of pulmonary blood flow from lung carbon dioxide mass balance, using measured carbon dioxide elimination and end-tidal concentration. A prototype measurement system was construct..