title: Transoesophageal Doppler echocardiographic measurement of cardiac output by the mitral annulus method.
abstract: OBJECTIVE
  To compare cardiac output measured by the transoesophageal Doppler and thermodilution techniques.
  
  
  METHODS
  Prospective direct comparison of paired measurements by both techniques in each patient.
  
  
  METHODS
  Intensive care unit in a cardiovascular centre.
  
  
  METHODS
  65 patients after open heart surgery (mean (SD) age 53 (12) years).
  
  
  METHODS
  Cardiac output was measured simultaneously by the transoesophageal Doppler and thermodilution techniques. Cardiac output was measured again after a mechanical intervention or volume loading.
  
  
  RESULTS
  The limits of agreement were -2.53 to +0.83 1.min-1 for cardiac output measured by the Doppler and thermodilution techniques. This suggests that the Doppler method alone would not be suitable for clinical use. The second measurement of cardiac output by thermodilution was compared with cardiac output estimated from the first and second Doppler measurements and the first thermodilution measurement. The limits of agreement (-0.55 to +0.51 1.min-1) were good enough for clinical use.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  After cardiac output had been measured simultaneously by both the Doppler and thermodilution techniques, subsequent transoesophageal Doppler alone gave a clinically useful measurement of cardiac output.
authors: Department of Cardiovascular Surgery, National Cardiovascular Centre, Suita, Japan.
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Shimamoto
authors: H
authors: H
authors: Kito
authors: K
authors: K
authors: Kawazoe
authors: T
authors: T
authors: Fujita
authors: Y
authors: Y
authors: Shimamoto
mesh_terms: D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology*; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods*; D004947:Esophagus; D005260:Female; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D008943:Mitral Valve / Q000000981:diagnostic imaging*; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013815:Thermodilution / Q000379:methods