ABSTRACT
BACKGROUND: Currently available minimally invasive devices cannot provide continuous determination of stroke volume (SV) or cardiac output (CO) in patients supported with an intra-aortic balloon pump (IABP). Our aim was to evaluate the accuracy of Dat-con™ monitor for continuous SV and CO determination in such patients. METHODS: SV (SVdat-con) and CO (COdat-con) were determined by Dat-con™ monitor in 35 patients supported by IABP, at baseline and after 103 therapeutic interventions. Echocardiography was used to measure SV (SVecho) and CO (COecho) from velocity time integral and cross-sectional area of left ventricular outflow tract. Monitored and echocardiographic values were compared using Bland-Altman's statistics. RESULTS: Bias in baseline SVdat-con compared to SVecho was 0.2 mL, with 1.96 limits of agreement (SD) of ±4.8 mL and with percentage error of 11%. Bias of baseline COdat-con compared to COecho was 0.03 l/min, with 1.96 SD of ±0.435 l/min with percentage error of 10.9%. After therapeutic interventions, bias of SVdat-con compared to SVecho was -0.3 mL, with 1.96 SD of ±4.8 mL and with percentage error of 10.5%. Agreement for SV changes was >95% (exclusion zone: changes <10%). Bias of COdat-con compared to COecho after therapeutic interventions was -0.03 L/min, with 1.96 SD of ±0.45 L/min. CONCLUSION: The accuracy and trending of continuous determination of SV and CO with Dat-con™ monitor in patients supported by IABP is equivalent to echocardiography.
