British heart journal
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British heart journal · Feb 1990
Ambulatory pulmonary arterial pressure in primary pulmonary hypertension: variability, relation to systemic arterial pressure, and plasma catecholamines.
The variability of pulmonary arterial pressure, the relation of pulmonary pressure to systemic pressure, pulmonary pressure responses to stimuli (exercise, hypoxia, smoking, free ambulation), and plasma catecholamine responses were assessed in five patients with primary pulmonary hypertension. Ambulatory monitoring techniques provided data for the computerised analysis of continuous, beat-to-beat, direct recordings of both pulmonary and systemic arterial pressures for 8 to 10 hours. ⋯ The variability of systemic pressure was similar to that in healthy volunteers. Basal and stimulated plasma catecholamine values were normal, suggesting preservation of normal sympathetic nervous system activity in primary pulmonary hypertension.
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British heart journal · Feb 1990
Comparative StudyNon-invasive determination of cardiac output by Doppler echocardiography and electrical bioimpedance.
Cardiac output measured by thermodilution in 25 patients within 24 hours of acute myocardial infarction was compared with cardiac output measured by Doppler echocardiography (24 patients) and electrical bioimpedance (25 patients). The mean (range) cardiac outputs measured by Doppler (4.03 (2.2-6.0) 1/min) and electrical bioimpedance (3.79 (1.1-6.2) 1/min) were similar to the mean thermodilution value (3.95 (2.1-6.2) 1/min). Both non-invasive techniques agreed closely with thermodilution in most patients. ⋯ Both non-invasive techniques were reproducible and accurate in most patients with acute myocardial infarction. Doppler echocardiography was time consuming and technically demanding. Electrical bioimpedance was simple to use and had the additional advantage of allowing continuous monitoring of the cardiac output.