Doppler cardiac output monitoring: a tool for all physicians

摘要

Modern medicine is offering a wider and more complex range of treatments than ever before. Today's physician is caring for an increasingly elderly population who exhibit diminished physiological reserve.Cardiovascular disease is increasingly prevalent in hospital patients and when associated with low cardiac output states carries a high mortality (Tuchschmidt and Mecher, 1994). Where empirical treatment of haemody-namic compromise is unsuccessful, additional data are needed to guide and optimize the circulation, ideally before critical care admission. Doppler cardiac output monitoring (DCOM) is gaining popularity in this setting as it is both minimally invasive and easy to perform.