Functional hemodynamic monitoring

Abstract

The management of the critically ill patient often requires continual monitoring of cardiovascular status. Numerous invasive and noninvasive technologies have been used to monitor cardiovascular status. Presently, highly invasive hemodynamic monitoring appears to be needed to define and treat the specific causes of cardiovascular instability. However, these complex monitoring systems often require pulmonary arterial catheterization and have not been shown to provide critically ill patients with a survival advantage [1]. In fact, the utility of hemodynamic monitoring itself has never been documented to improve survival. In part, this lack of benefit from hemodynamic monitoring may reflect the use of poorly validated systems of hemodynamic profile analysis and unproven treatments.