Research into the possibility to use impedance rheocardiography in a non-invasive assessment of haemodynamic condition of patients with heart diseases

Abstract

Impedance rheocardiography is a non-invasive method of the haemodynamic condition of patients which bases on the measurement of the electrical impedance of the chest caused by the flow of blood. The method has been more and more popular in clinics in the recent years due to its being non-invasive and its possibility to monitor patients continuously, even those in critical condition. Impedance rheocardiography is treated as a complement to echocardiography or invasive monitoring. A possibility is also seen for its application in the detection of fluid in the intra-chest cavity. The study attempts to assess the clinical application of this method in haemodynamic examinations of patients with acute left ventricular failure. The tests were carried out on a group of 45 patients with heart failure in the course of dilated cardiomyopathy (DCM). A statistically significant correlation has been revealed between the results of cardiac index (CI) and stroke volume index (SI) measurement made with the method of impedance rheocardiography and the invasive reference method, (pulmonary artery catheterization - PAC), and between the basis impedance value Z 0 and the properties of fluid present in the thoracic cavity, stated in physical test. © 2012 Springer-Verlag.