Journal of investigative surgery : the official journal of the Academy of Surgical Research
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Intermittent measurement of cardiac output is routine in the critically ill surgical patient. A new catheter allows real-time continuous measurement of cardiac output. This study evaluated the impact of body temperature variation on the accuracy of these measurements compared to standard intermittent bolus thermodilution technique. ⋯ Correlation between the two techniques was 0.96, 0.91, and 0.82 for temperatures of < or =36.5 degrees C, 36.6-38.4 degrees C, and > or = 38.5 degrees C, respectively. In conclusion, the COC measurements correlate well with COB in trauma patients with a core temperature < or =38.5 degrees C. The accuracy degraded at higher temperatures, which may be related to the smaller signal-to-noise ratio at elevated body temperatures.