Hydrostatic and central venous pressure measurement by the IVAC 560 infusion pump.

The IVAC Variable Pressure Volumetric Pump, Model 560, was evaluated for hydrostatic and central venous pressure (CVP) measurement. In bench tests, 4 per cent of IVAC systems failed a +/- 2 mm Hg accuracy test. When measurements were inaccurate, errors were small (SD = 0.49 mm Hg). In simultaneous clinical measurements with a standard electronic transducer system, the correlation coefficient between the IVAC and transducer measurements was 0.95. A potential drawback of the IVAC 560 for CVP measurement is the lack of waveform display. The IVAC system is simple to operate and less expensive per use than the standard electronic system.