Les nouvelles techniques de monitorage du débit cardiaque : gadgets ou avancées réelles ?

Cardiac output measurement is important for the management of critically ill patients, or “high risk” surgical patients. Alternatives to thermodilution are now available and are gaining acceptance among practitioners who have been trained almost exclusively with the pulmonary artery catheter. The present review focuses on the principles, advantages and limits of techniques based on pulse contour analysis, Fick principle applied to CO2, and Doppler velocimetry of the descending aorta. There is not a single method standing out and ruling out the others. Instead, by making cardiac output easily measurable, these techniques should all contribute to improve hemodynamic management.