GE CARESCAPE - Page 271

Cardiacoutput
ProblemSolution
WhatiftheC.O.valueishigherthanexpected?Cardiacoutputmustbecomputedwithin20
seconds.Increasingthevolumeanddecreasing
thetemperaturewillgiveyouagreaterdifferential
change.
●Increasethevolumeinjected.
●Decreasethetemperatureoftheinjectate.
Whatifastablebaselinetemperaturecannotbe
detected?
Amessageindicatingafailureisdisplayed.
●CheckthepatientandtheC.O.setup(boththe
settingsandthecables).
●Checkforasignicantamountofrespiratory
variationandforrapidIVsolutioninfusion,either
ofwhichmayinuencethebaselinetemperature.
Itmaybenecessarytostoporslowthesolution
infusionduringC.O.measurement,however,use
cautionifthesolutionincludesdrugs/medication.
●Checktheinjectatetemperature(IT).Thereshould
beaminimumtemperaturedifferenceof10°C(18°
F)betweenthepatientbloodtemperatureandthe
injectatesolutiontemperature.Cooltheinjectate
solutionifneededtoincreasethedifference.
●Replacetheinjectatetemperaturecable.
●Thepulmonaryarterycathetermaybedamaged.
Replaceit.
Whatifthecardiacoutputvaluesareinaccurate?Whenin-lineisbeingusedalongwithicedinjectate,
theinitialtemperaturedisplayedwillbetheroom
temperature.However,whenthesolutionisinjected,
thetemperaturedisplayedwilldecrease.
●Technique.Itisimportanttounderstandthe
techniqueusedinperformingacardiacoutput
sinceitisamajorinuencingfactorinobtaining
accuratecardiacoutputvalues.
￭Ifroomtemperaturesolutionisused,besure
thebagisnotexposedtoasupplemental
heatsourceortouchingothersolutionsor
equipment.Thisisimportantsothesolution
temperaturewillbethesameastheroomair
temperaturesensedthroughthebathorin-line
probe.Anydifferenceintemperaturecouldgive
aninaccuratereading.
￭Wheninjecting,alwaysholdthesyringebythe
plungerandnotbythebarrel.Thetemperature
ofthesolutionincreasesataslowerrateifthe
barrelisnotheld,andthereforereducesthe
potentialforerrorinacardiacoutputvalue.
￭Itisrecommendedthatyouinjectrapidly
andsmoothlyintotheproximalportofthe
pulmonaryarterycatheter,within4to5
seconds.
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