Central venous oxygen saturation monitoring

Abstract

It has been established that mixed venous oxygen saturation (Svo2) reflects the balance between systemic oxygen delivery and consumption. Literature indicates that it is a valuable clinical indicator and has good prognostic value early in patient course. This article aims to establish the usefulness of Svo2 as a clinical indicator. A secondary aim was to determine whether central venous oxygen saturation (Scvo2) and Svo2 are interchangeable. Of particular relevance to cardiac nurses is the link between decreased Svo2 and cardiac failure in patients with myocardial infarction, and with decline in myocardial function, clinical shock and arrhythmias. While absolute values Scvo2 and Svo2 are not interchangeable, Scvo2 and Svo2 are equivalent in terms of clinical course. Additionally, Scvo2 monitoring is a safer and less costly alternative to Svo2 monitoring. It can be concluded that continuous Scvo2 monitoring should potentially be undertaken in patients at risk of haemodynamic instability.