Standard monitoring techniques in the pediatric cardiac intensive care unit

Abstract

Bedside monitoring is a vital component of any intensive care unit. It is often what separates intensive care versus non-intensive hospitalization. The vast amount of invasive and noninvasive monitoring techniques alert the patient’s care team to changes in the physiological state of the patient and assess the response to interventions. Pediatric patients with heart disease are at risk for significant morbidities and mortalities, especially in the immediate postoperative period. Therefore, close monitoring is paramount to delivering the best care in this population. This chapter outlines the most common techniques of monitoring critically ill pediatric cardiac patients. It will explore not only the information gained from each modality but also discuss its limitations. How each modality can help direct care with examples specific to children with heart disease is discussed.