OPTIMIZING RESULTS FOR PICCO MEASUREMENTS
VF8 DELTA/DELTA XL/KAPPA 26-25
Catheter types
Art catheter is a femoral artery catheter.
When a long radial artery (or brachial artery) catheter is in use, the TD
baseline may show fluctuations in frequency of the HR. This is because the
artery is quite narrow and the thermistor knocks at the vessel walls with every
heart beat. This could cause measurement issues. Repositioning of patient’s
arm could help reduce fluctuations to get a stable baseline.
Thermodilution (TD) Measurements
Always try to make at least 3 TD measurements to calibrate PCCO.
Wait until READY is displayed before injection
Check that good C.O average values are obtained before saving as average.
During a measurement, if p-IT or p-BT readings become invalid or go out of
range the averaging screen will disappear. Check that p-IT and p-BT are in
range in order to restart the measurement.
[p-BT range: -3 to -31 °C (27 to 88 °F), p-IT range: 25 to 43 °C (77 to
109 °F)]
Cables
Use of good cables is very important. Always inspect the cables before use.
Check for bent or damaged cable pins before use.
Make sure the cable connections are free from moisture or other saline
deposits. Moisture could cause the intermittent errors in measurements, which
may be harder to understand and troubleshoot.
Make sure the ART catheter connection is done carefully. Avoid force when
making this connection. Rotate it gently to align with the notch. Bent or
shorted pins in the connector could cause loose or no connection affecting the
measurements.
General measurement problems
If, after trying the suggestions above, you still experience problems with the
measurements, exit the p-CO Averaging screen. Rectify possible problems with
respect to injectate or blood temperature based on above suggestions before restarting
a TD measurement.
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