Improving the Accuracy of Pulmonary Artery Catheter Measurements

Abstract

Pulmonary artery pressures and arterial pressures are important hemodynamic measurements utilized in clinical management decision making for critically ill patients. Studies have demonstrated a concerning rate of measurement error, often due to technical errors. Zeroing, leveling, and dynamic response testing are essential components of assuring the quality of measurements. This article describes a multilevel approach to assuring the accuracy of measurements. It includes the physics underlying each of these principles, criteria for judging the efficacy of the dynamic response, and clinically applicable methods for measuring the natural frequency and damping coefficient of pressure monitoring systems.

The contemporary pulmonary artery catheter. Part 1: placement and waveform analysis

“…The atmospheric pressure is now the zero-reference point. From there on, only (variations in) pressures which exist inside the heart chamber or blood vessel will be measured, as long as the position of the pressure transducer remains the same [ 28 ].…”