Journal of applied physiology
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Comparative Study
Noninvasive cardiac output measurement by arterial pulse analysis compared with inert gas rebreathing.
Noninvasive cardiac output (CO) measured by arterial pulse analysis was compared with that measured by inert gas rebreathing in six healthy male volunteers. Pulse contour analysis was applied to the pressure wave output of a Finapres, which noninvasively measures continuous arterial pressure in a finger. Data were collected before, during, and after a 10-day 6 degrees head-down tilt experiment. ⋯ The linear regression between pulse contour (Pc CO) and rebreathing CO (Rebr CO) was Pc CO = 0.15 + 0.98(Rebr CO) (r = 0.96). The standard deviation of the difference of the two methods was 0.5 l/min (n = 205), excluding data used for calibration. By monitoring pulse contour CO before and during rebreathing, the rebreathing maneuver itself was shown to produce a substantial increase in CO that was mainly related to an increase in heart rate.(ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)