title: Safety and efficacy of continuous flush systems for arterial and pulmonary artery catheters.
abstract: Air embolism and static pressure errors have been attributed to continuous infusion systems. Experiments show that the primary source of air bubbles in such a system is the drip chamber. A drip chamber that minimizes this problem was tested and is recommended. Pressure errors due to the flush system are shown to be clinically insignificant. Fast flushing through a central arterial catheter is shown to be a minimal hazard.
mesh_terms: D001158:Arteries; D002404:Catheterization / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000295:instrumentation*; D004618:Embolism, Air / Q000209:etiology; D006801:Humans; D011651:Pulmonary Artery