Welcome

These pages describe our research into measurement of cardiac output using lithium dilution and pulse contour analysis methods; they also provide some background information.

We gratefully acknowledge the contribution of those who have taken part in this research - see list of publications.

To aid your navigating, here is a short summary of what is under the titles:

Cardiac Output

• What it is.
• Why measure it?
• Methods of Measuring Cardiac Output

Indicator Dilution

• Indicator Dilution Methods of Measuring Cardiac Output
• Thermodilution
• Cold Thermodilution Using a Swan Ganz Catheter
  • Advantages
  • Disadvantages
• Warm Thermodilution Using a Swan Ganz Catheter
• Transpulmonary Thermodilution

Lithium Dilution Cardiac Output (LDCO)

• The Principle
• The Sensor
• Recording the Signal
• Derivation of Cardiac Output
• Advantages of the Lithium Dilution Method
  • Safe
  • Accurate
  • Simple to use
• Limitations of the Lithium Dilution Method

Clinical Studies

• Initial Description of the Lithium Dilution Method
• Cardiopulmonary Bypass Circuit Flow Measured with Lithium Dilution and an Electromagnetic Flow Probe
• Lithium Dilution Curves Produced by Right and Left Atrial Injection of Lithium Chloride
• Comparison of the Lithium Dilution and Thermodilution Methods
• Measurement of cardiac output and shunt fraction in a patient during venovenous extracorporeal membrane oxygenation.
• Comparison of cardiac output measurements made by Lithium Dilution, Thermodilution and Transoesophageal Echocardiography in anaesthetized horses.
• Cardiac output measurement in an anaesthetized giraffe using lithium dilution.
• Cardiac output measured by lithium dilution and transpulmonary thermodilution in patients in a pediatric intensive care unit.
• A comparison of lithium dilution cardiac output measurements made using central and antecubital venous injection of lithium chloride.
• The pharmacokinetics of intravenous lithium chloride in patients and normal volunteers.

Laboratory Studies

• Testing in a model
• Laboratory study using the Lithium Dilution Method to measure flows in an ECMO circuit

References 

Pulse Contour Cardiac Output (PCO)

• Theory
• Display
• Clinical Use
• Examples
• Statistics
• References for PCO