Current practice regarding invasive monitoring in intensive care units in Finland. A nationwide study of the uses of arterial, pulmonary artery and central venous catheters and their effect on outcome. The Finnish Intensive Care Study Group.

As part of a nationwide evaluation of intensive care, we examined patient- and hospital-related factors which could influence the patterns of utilization of arterial cannulae and central venous and pulmonary artery catheters. We also studied the possible impact of these interventions on the short-term outcome among 14,951 consecutive ICU admissions to 25 intensive care units (75% of all ICU beds) in Finland. There was considerable variation between individual units in the use of these devices even if the differences in severity of illness were taken into account. Arterial cannulation was used in 71.2%, PA catheterization in 10.6% and CVP monitoring in 49.3% of cases in teaching ICUs, excluding cardiac surgery, and in 38.5%, 2.6% and 33.1% of cases in non-teaching ICUs respectively. The factors predicting the use of invasive monitoring included extensive surgery causing a risk of cardiovascular instability, needs for mechanical ventilation, infusion of vasoactive drugs and complicated fluid therapy. Cardiovascular problems among non-operative patients increased the odds for PA catheterization but reduced them for arterial and CV cannulation. No clear-cut benefit could be found in the form of hospital mortality reduction from invasive haemodynamic monitoring, used as described in this study.