• Matthias Heringlake, Karim Kouz, and Bernd Saugel.
• Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, Heart- and Diabetes Center Mecklenburg - Western Pomerania, Karlsburg Hospital, Karlsburg, Germany.
• Br J Anaesth. 2023 Dec 1; 131 (6): 971974971-974.

AbstractFlow-directed, balloon-tipped pulmonary artery catheters allow measuring cardiac output and other haemodynamic variables including intracardiac pressures. We propose classifying pulmonary artery catheters by generations and specifying additional measurement modalities. Based on the method used to measure cardiac output, pulmonary artery catheters can be classified into three generations: first-generation using intermittent pulmonary artery thermodilution; second-generation using a thermal filament for automated pulmonary artery thermodilution; and third-generation combining thermal filament-based automated pulmonary artery thermodilution and pulmonary artery pulse wave analysis. Each of these pulmonary artery catheter generations can include additional measurements, such as continuous mixed venous oxygen saturation, right ventricular ejection fraction and end-diastolic volume, and right ventricular pressure. This classification should help define indications for pulmonary artery catheters in clinical practice and research.Copyright © 2023 British Journal of Anaesthesia. Published by Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.

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