Lefrant J Y, Benbabaali M, Ripart J, Aya A G, Sassi G, Dauzat M, de La Coussaye J E, Eledjam J J
Fédération d'Anesthésie Douleur Urgences Réanimation, Centre Hospitalier Universitaire de Nîmes, France.
Intensive Care Med. 2000 Jun;26(6):693-7. doi: 10.1007/s001340051234.
Comparison of suprasternal Doppler (SST) and thermodilution (TD) for the measurement of cardiac output (CO) in critically ill patients.
Prospective study.
Intensive care unit of a university hospital.
65 consecutive critically ill patients requiring a pulmonary artery catheter.
Paired CO measurements were made simultaneously using SST and TD by two independent operators. The time to obtain a CO value by SST was measured. Correlation coefficients and the linear regression equation were determined. A Bland and Altman diagram was plotted. A Bland and Altman diagram was also plotted for the level of cardiac index (CI) values (low: CI < 2.5 l min(-1) m(-2); normal: 2.5 < or = CI < or = 4.5 l min(-1) m(-2); high: CI > 4.5 l min(-1) m(-2)).
In seven patients SST failed to measure CO. In the remaining 58 patients 314 paired CO measurements were performed. The mean time to measure CO by SST was 73 +/- 45 s. The equation of linear regression was: SST(CO) = 0.84 TD(CO) + 1.39. The correlation coefficient was 0.84. The bias between SST and TD was -0.2 +/- 1.4 l min(-1). Biases were -0.23 +/- 0.50, -0.20 +/- 0.68, and 0.25 +/- 0.92 l min(-1) m(-2) for low, normal, and high levels of CI, respectively.
SST does not accurately measure CO but allows a rapid assessment of CI level in critically ill patients.
