[Measurement of cardiac output with continuous thermodilution. b1 Clinical experience with the Intellicath-Vigilans system].

Background: Thermodilution cardiac output measurements are commonly obtained by a manual bolus technique with a pulmonary artery catheter.

Methods: A new thermodilution catheter has been developed which utilizes an integral thermal filament and provides semicontinuous online cardiac output. The response of this new device in 25 patients undergoing coronary artery bypass grafting was examined.