Ulrich Pfeiffer

A Fiberoptics-Based System for Integrated Monitoring of Cardiac Output, Intrathoracic Blood Volume, Extravascular Lung Water, O2 Saturation, and a-v Differences

The development of intravascular fiberoptic reflection photometry by Polanyi and Hehir [33] has initiated a new area of research and monitoring technology. Using different measuring and reference wavelengths oxygen saturation or dye concentrations in blood can be derived continuously and precisely in streaming blood and without blood withdrawal [35]. In recent years the quantification of extra-vascular lung water (EVLW) with the combination of thermal- and dye dilution has been introduced for clinical use [20, 22]. Instead of blood withdrawal for analyzing dye concentrations extracorporeally fiberoptic reflection dye densitometry can be combined with thermodilution for the estimation of EVLW [31]. Thus one system allows the integrated monitoring of several parameters like arterial (SaO2) and mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) and EVLW.