Evaluation of the noninvasive estimates of cardiac output by Doppler aortoechography according to test-theoretical principles.
The usability of noninvasive methods can be quantified by a formal assessment of empirical quality criteria based on test-theoretical principles. The ACVF Doppler aortoechography is a pulsed dual-beam ultrasound technique with online estimates of cardiac output (CO) based upon the measurement of the mean Doppler shift frequency across the ascending aorta, its estimated cross-sectional area and the cycle's heart rate. The method has a relatively high reliability, sensitivity, and pharmacosensitivity (for inodilatory changes in particular), but tends to underestimate cardiac output. Furthermore, the method lacks objectivity because it is highly observer-dependent. Precise method description and stringent standardization thus are required. Because of the method specificity of its estimates, data should not be combined with those of other methods. The inherently poor validity of its CO estimates, using this method, call for caution in the mechanistic interpretation of its observations.
Erb
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McKnight Laboratories, Institute for Clinical Pharmacology and Analytics, Hamburg, Germany.
Stammer
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De Mey
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D000328:Adult; D001011:Aorta / Q000502:physiology; D002138:Calibration; D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology*; D018619:Echocardiography, Doppler, Pulsed / Q000191:economics / Q000379:methods*; D005260:Female; D006339:Heart Rate / Q000502:physiology; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D015588:Observer Variation; D009862:Online Systems; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D012680:Sensitivity and Specificity; D013318:Stroke Volume / Q000502:physiology