• Christian Richard, Xavier Monnet, and Jean-Louis Teboul.
• AP-HP, Service de réanimation médicale, Hôpital de Bicêtre and Faculté de médecine Paris-Sud, Univ Paris-Sud, EA 4046, Le Kremlin-Bicêtre, Paris, France. christian.richard@bct.aphp.fr
• Curr Opin Crit Care. 2011 Jun 1;17(3):296-302.

Purpose Of ReviewHemodynamic monitoring has gained widespread acceptance in intensive care units. Despite ongoing debate regarding its safety and efficacy, monitoring with the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) remains used for the management of severe heart failure and shock.Recent FindingsTo reanalyze using the most recently published literature in the field, the role of the PAC to manage critically ill patients with right ventricular failure, pulmonary hypertension and weaning failure from cardiac origin. The role of PAC as a gold standard to validate new cardiac output monitoring devices was also reported.SummaryDespite competition with less invasive hemodynamic monitoring devices or ultrasonic methods, the PAC remains a useful monitoring device in situations in which the knowledge of pulmonary artery pressure, pulmonary artery occlusion pressure and oxygenation parameters are needed. The proper use of PAC requires, however, a perfect knowledge of the numerous pitfalls and difficulties in interpretation of its measurements.

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