0000000000778797
AUTHOR
Ralph G. Huth
Evaluation of the pulse wave arrival time as a marker for blood pressure changes in critically ill infants and children
Objective. Pulse arrival time (PAT), which is the interval between the R wave of the electrocardiogram (ECG) and the arrival of the pulse wave peripherally, has been reported to be suitable for use as an indirect measure of blood pressure change. The purpose of this study was to evaluate, in critically ill infants and children, the degree to which 1/PAT covaries with systolic, diastolic, and mean blood pressure, as well as heart rate.Methods. A laboratory device was used to calculate PAT in real time from the ECG and the plethysmographic curve of pulse oximetry used for routine monitoring. Calculated PAT and corresponding blood pressures and heart rate were stored on hard disk. A total of 1…
Evaluation of gastric intramucosal pH during and after pediatric cardiac surgery.
Objectives: In adult patients, intramucosal pH (pHi) has been advocated to detect postoperative complications. The purpose of our study was to evaluate this technique in pediatric patients during and after cardiac surgery. Methods: Thirty-five infants (age: 5 days to 15 years, median 1.8 years; and weight: 3.2‐32 kg, median 9.8 kg) were studied. pHi was measured before cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), after 30 min of CPB, prior to weaning off CPB, at intensive care unit arrival, and 6, 12, 24, 48 and 72 h after surgery. Results: There were no complications related to the tonometer. A pathologically low pHiB 7.32 was found during surgery in less than 17%, at intensive care unit arrival in 83% a…