title: [Comparison of cardiac output measurement in critical patients using transesophageal Doppler or thermodilution: a preliminary report].
abstract: BACKGROUND
  Cardiac output can be measured non invasively by transesophageal Doppler. This is an alternative to measure it by thermodilution with a catheter in the pulmonary artery.
  
  
  OBJECTIVE
  To compare both methods of cardiac output measurement.
  
  
  METHODS
  Simultaneous measurement of cardiac output by transesophageal Doppler and thermodilution with a catheter in the pulmonary artery in four male critical patients, aged 60+/-12 years, hospitalized in a University Hospital. The Bland and Altman method to compare the concordance between two measurements, was used.
  
  
  RESULTS
  Forty measurements were performed. The results of both methods had a correlation coefficient of 0.98. According to the Bland and Altman method, the difference between both methods was -0.5 L with a precision of 0.52 L/min (95% confidence interval -1.51 to 0.52 L/min). Considering that a change between two sequential measurements is considered significant when the difference is more than 15%, both measurements agreed in 83% of cases, that there was a change in cardiac output.
  
  
  CONCLUSIONS
  Transesophageal Doppler is a promising non invasive technique to measure cardiac output in critical care patients. It becomes a valid alternative to the thermodilution technique. This preliminary experience must be confirmed in a larger series.
authors.affiliation: Unidad de Tratamiento Intensivo Médico, Facultad de Medicina, Hospital Clínico Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile. andresen@med.puc.cl
authors.forename: Max
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Andresen
authors.forename: Mauricio
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Henríquez
authors.forename: Marcelo
authors.initials: M
authors.lastname: Mercado
authors.forename: Gonzalo
authors.initials: G
authors.lastname: Farías
authors.forename: Carmen
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Castillo
authors.forename: Carlos
authors.initials: C
authors.lastname: Benítez
authors.forename: Alberto
authors.initials: A
authors.lastname: Dougnac
mesh_terms: D002302:Cardiac Output / Q000502:physiology*; D002407:Catheterization, Swan-Ganz; D003422:Critical Care; D015150:Echocardiography, Doppler / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D017548:Echocardiography, Transesophageal / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D006801:Humans; D008297:Male; D008875:Middle Aged; D011446:Prospective Studies; D013815:Thermodilution / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards