Kokyu to junkan. Respiration & circulation
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We measured the mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2) continuously using a fiberoptic thermodilution pulmonary artery catheter to analyze the time course of SvO2 during exercise, and evaluated the relationship between SvO2 and exercise load, SvO2 and cardiac output. Five patients with old myocardial infarction and one healthy man underwent pulmonary arterial catheterization and then performed an incremental steady state exercise test using a supine cycle ergometer. ⋯ SvO2 correlates well with cardiac output by the thermodilution method in individual patients. We conclude that a fiberoptic thermodilution pulmonary artery catheter was useful to evaluate the dynamic changes of SvO2 during exercise.