South African medical journal = Suid-Afrikaanse tydskrif vir geneeskunde
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Comparative Study
An evaluation of the pulse-contour method of measuring cardiac output.
The pulse-contour (PC) method continuously derives the cardiac output in litres per minute from the arterial pressure wave form by using a portable analogue computer. The reliability of the PC method in determining cardiac output was studied in 6 patients during anaesthetic induction for cardiac surgery. The results obtained with the PC method using the radial artery to register the arterial pulse wave were compared with cardiac output measurements using the more conventional thermodilution technique. The PC method would seem to offer a simple, clinically useful method for on-line monitoring of short-term variations in cardiac output.
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A 3-year-old White child was admitted to the critical care unit in a coma after a generalized convulsion. Codeine and salicylic acid were present in his plasma. The possible aetiology and management are discussed.