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| Typical Number in Hospital: | Cost Bands: 5 | References: 6 |
This is a device to give an indication (though not a measurement) of cardiac output by processing the ultrasonic doppler signals derived from the aorta from a point on the skin on the lower part of the neck. Using a 2 MHz transducer, the width of the sound beam approximately corresponds to the diameter of the aorta and the returning signals contain velocity information which may be frequency analysed and delivered to a strip chart showing the velocity patterns of the blood. The device has not found wide acceptance although variations on the theme are being developed which have great potential application for monitoring changes in cardiac output during treatment.
Content and Design Copyright 2000 Dr. Malcolm C Brown. See Title Page for more details