Determination of cardiac output with a modified Fick method using estimated instead of measured oxygen consumption.
Cardiac output (CO) was determined with a modification of the Fick method using estimated, instead of measured, oxygen consumption values. This avoids several possible sources of error in connection with air sampling and oxygen content analysis, thus a relaxed, steady state is obtained more easily. Using the thermodilution technique a good correlation with CO values was found (r = 0.92, p less than 0.001). We conclude that the modified Fick method is simple, accurate and offers reproducible CO estimates in the majority of patients.
Medical Department, Vest-Agder Sentralsykehus, Kristiansand, Norway.
J
J
Dale
L
L
Jespersen
D000293:Adolescent; D000328:Adult; D000368:Aged; D002302:Cardiac Output; D003326:Coronary Circulation; D005260:Female; D006331:Heart Diseases / Q000175:diagnosis / Q000503:physiopathology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D010101:Oxygen Consumption; D013815:Thermodilution / Q000379:methods*