Non Invasive Hemodynamic Measurements in Coronary Care Units

We discussed this morning the problems of electrocardiographic monitoring for the detecting of arrhythmias. As our experience grows, we are becoming more and more concerned with the evaluation of another basic function of the heart: his function as a pump. This alley appears now worthy pursuing in order to obtain a further reduction of mortality in CCU. In particular we learned that pump function alterations must be detected and dealt with as early as possible even before clinical signs appear. We also learned that we wish to be able to follow objectively in time the effects of our interventions on cardiac function. In critically ill patients, in centers where adequate expertise is available, invasive monitoring is the answer, as we will discuss tomorrow, but for less acute patiens and for centers where invasive procedures are not available, non invasive techniques do represent a first line of attack.