Rapid estimation of pulmonary extravascular water with an instream catheter.

An arterial catheter-bearing external conductivity electrodes and a thermistor was used for measurement of lung thermal volume (LTV) by the double-indicator method. Ten milliliters of 3% saline at room temperature were injected, dilution curves measured, and LTV calculated as mean transit time difference, less thermistor time constant, times cardiac output (CO). Comparisons were made, in dogs, between LTV, pulmonary extravascular lung water with Evans blue and tritiated water (PEVWtho), and weighed lung water (WLW). Pulmonary edema was induced with dextran and epinephrine. CO was measured by thermodilution in both the pulmonary artery (PA) and aorta (AO) and dye dilution in the AO. CO from dye dilution was compared with thermodilution (aortic detection) to detect irreversible loss of thermal indicator. Comparisons showed good correspondence of dye and thermal curves (Y = 0.91X - 0.16 1/min; r = 0.93). LTV is about 120% of WLW in near normal lungs, 90% of WLW in extreme edema. PEVWtho was 60-70% WLW.