| Autor: |
Baldetti L; Terapia Intensiva Cardiologica, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano., Gentile P; Unità di Scompenso Cardiaco e Trapianto Cardiaco, ASST Grande Ospedale Metropolitano Niguarda, Milano., Gori M; Unità di Cardiologia, Ospedale Papa Giovanni XXIII, Bergamo., Scandroglio AM; Terapia Intensiva Cardiologica, IRCCS Ospedale San Raffaele, Milano., Gasparetto N; Terapia Intensiva Cardiologica, Ospedale Ca' Foncello, Treviso., Trambaiolo P; Unità di Cardiologia, Ospedale Sandro Pertini, Roma., Valente S; Terapia Intensiva Cardiologica, Azienda Ospedaliera-Universitaria Senese, Siena., Marini M; Terapia Intensiva Cardiologica, Ospedali Riuniti, Ancona. |
| Abstrakt: |
More than 50 years after its introduction in clinical practice, the increase in the intensity of care offered by the cardiac intensive care units, the shift in the population of patients treated and the wider availability of circulatory supports, still makes the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) an essential tool for diagnosis, monitoring and prognosis in patients suffering from cardiogenic shock. In this review, we will discuss how to identify those patients who can benefit most from its use, the configuration and the correct insertion technique of a PAC. A pragmatic guide will also be provided for the interpretation of the hemodynamic indexes (direct and calculated) that the PAC is able to reveal as well as a summary of the most common errors in reading or interpreting the pressure curves provided by the PAC. In this article, we will then present a practical guide on how to use the PAC in a modern cardiac intensive care unit. |
