Invasive and noninvasive hemodynamic monitoring of patients with cerebrovascular accidents.

Seventeen patients with hemodynamic instability from acute cerebrovascular accidents were evaluated shortly after arrival at the emergency department of a university-run county hospital with both invasive Swan-Ganz pulmonary artery catheter placement and a new, noninvasive, thoracic electrical bioimpedance device. Values were recorded and temporal patterns of survivors and nonsurvivors were described. Cardiac indices obtained simultaneously by the 2 techniques were compared. Of the 17 patients, 11 (65%) died. Survivors had higher values than nonsurvivors for mean arterial pressure, cardiac index, and oxygen saturation, delivery, and consumption at comparable times. Cardiac index values, as measured by invasive and noninvasive methods, were correlated. We concluded that hemodynamic monitoring in an acute care setting may recognize temporal circulatory patterns associated with outcome. Noninvasive electrical bioimpedance technology offers a new method for early hemodynamic evaluation. Further research in this area is warranted.