Abstract
A reappraisal for the use of pulmonary artery catheters
Highlights
A reappraisal for the use of pulmonary artery cathetersJean-Louis VincentDepartment of Intensive Care, Erasme Hospital, Free University of Brussels, BelgiumCritical Care 2006, 10(Suppl 3):S1The history of the pulmonary artery catheter spans almost 90 years from the first reported cardiac catheterization by Werner Forssmann in 1929
Intensivists are divided in their opinions, split into those who maintain that the haemodynamic data provided by the pulmonary artery (Swan-Ganz) catheter (PAC) aid in diagnosis and patient management, and those who believe that the complications and limitations outweigh the benefits
In the most recent randomized study, 1041 intensive care unit (ICU) patients were randomly assigned to treatment with or without a PAC [6]
Summary
A reappraisal for the use of pulmonary artery cathetersJean-Louis VincentCritical Care 2006, 10(Suppl 3):S1 (doi:10.1186/cc4828)The history of the pulmonary artery catheter spans almost 90 years from the first reported cardiac catheterization by Werner Forssmann (on himself!) in 1929. In recent years, with the push to make medical care as noninvasive as possible and with the development of possible alternative, less invasive means of monitoring, the role of the PAC has come under close scrutiny. Evidence does seem to suggest that patients managed with a PAC have similar outcomes to those without [3,4,5,6,7], some studies have shown worse outcomes [8,9] and others improved outcomes [10].
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