Indications for pulmonary artery flow-directed catheters.
The pulmonary artery flow-directed catheter (Swan-Ganz catheter) has been in clinical use for 20 years. These devices are now used by 80% of UK intensive care units for the diagnosis and monitoring of a wide range of cardiorespiratory problems. The principal indications for the use of pulmonary artery catheters and the evidence supporting these indications are outlined in this article.
Young
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Nuffield Department of Anaesthetics, John Radcliffe Hospital, Oxford.
D002407:Catheterization, Swan-Ganz / Q000009:adverse effects / Q000592:standards / Q000706:statistics & numerical data*; D001026:Coronary Artery Bypass; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D016343:Monitoring, Intraoperative / Q000379:methods; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods; D011655:Pulmonary Embolism / Q000503:physiopathology; D012128:Respiratory Distress Syndrome / Q000503:physiopathology; D012769:Shock / Q000503:physiopathology