?:definition
|
-
Pulmonary artery catheters dedicated to measure mixed venous oxygen saturation (SvO2); they usually also measure pulmonary artery wedge pressure. These catheters include a fiberoptic bundle and light-emitting diodes (LEDs) on their distal tips; the light emitted at two or three different wavelengths (e.g., red and near infrared) from the catheter and reflected from the red blood cells varies according to the oxygen saturation level. The SvO2 is determined in an external optical module (reflectance spectrophotometry). Oximetry pulmonary artery catheters are used for continuous hemodynamic monitoring of critically ill patients (e.g., acute respiratory failure and/or shock) and during surgical and other medical procedures. Some of these catheters are used in monitoring jugular venous oxygen saturation in patients with severe head injury.
|