[Determination of cardiac output by the method of tetrapolar chest rheography and evaluation of its metrological possibilities].

Tetrapolar chest rheography is an up-to-day, convenient and bloodless method of determining the cardiac stroke volume (CSV) and cardiac output (CO) in dynamic observations. The paper presents and analysis of the method and considers the possibilities and limits of its application in determining the stroke volume and cardiac output. Advantages of the Kubicek procedure as modified by the authors by comparison with other rheographic methods are shown, along with methodological procedures employed for dtermining the CSV and CO and a nomogram that significantly facilitates the calculation of the values under study is offered. Results of contrasting the cardiac ejection values in patients with congenital heart diseases and an increased pulmonary circulation as against those in patients with ischemic heart disease, obtained by means of tetrapolar chest rheography and direct Fick's method are cited. The possibility of applying tetrapolar chest rheography in assessing the effect operative treatment in patients with congenital cardiac defects and also when investigating compensatory reactions of the cardio-vascular system in patients with hypertensive disease in the course of the orthostatic and Valsalva tests is demonstrated.