Circuit for automatically zeroing aortic flow base line from electromagnetic flowmeter.

We describe an inexpensive circuit designed to correct base-line drift of electromagnetic flowmeters automatically when cardiac output is being measured. The circuit measures the flowmeter output voltage during a portion of each diastole when blood flow in the aorta is assumed to be zero. Any deviation of the flowmeter output voltage from zero during this time represents either base-line offset or drift. The output voltage obtained during zero flow conditions is stored throughout the next cardiac cycle and subtracted continuously from the flowmeter output during each beat, thus giving a beat-by-beat correction of any base-line drift.