Errors of the Dye Dilution Method Compared to the Direct Fick Method in Determination of Cariac Output in Man

Abstract

The great advancements in cardiac surgery have increased the demand for hemo-dynamic studies during operation and in the immediate postoperative period. For measurement of cardiac output on these occasions the dye dilution method seems to be the most suitable. As a result of previous reports suggesting a systematic error in determining cardiac output with this method (Friedlich, Heimbecker & Bing 1950, Doyle, Wilson, Lepine & Warren 1953, and Smith, Wilder & Fox 1954), several investigators have since compared the dye dilution technique with the direct Fick method (see Wade & Bishop 1962). The aim of the present investigation was to examine further the reliability of the dye dilution technique in a series of patients with different types of circulatory disorders (further experiments are reported separately, Grenvik 1966).