ABSTRACT
How can blood pressure be monitored? How do you assess the cardiovascular status of a patient? What are the indications for central venous access? What are the complications of central venous access? Draw the CVP waveform and label the various components. Is absolute CVP a useful measurement? In what circumstances might CVP not represent overall filling? How do you put in and take out a central line? What are the indications for insertion of a pulmonary artery flotation catheter (PAFC)? Draw the trace of a PAFC as it passes though the heart and wedges. What parameters can be measured and what parameters can be calculated from a PAFC (Swan-Ganz)? What methods are there for measuring cardiac output in the intensive care setting? What do you understand by Fick’s principle? How can an arterial waveform tell you about the patient’s fluid balance?
