FloTrac/Vigileo(TM) (third generation) and MostCare(®)/PRAM versus echocardiography for cardiac output estimation in vascular surgery.

OBJECTIVE: To compare the FloTrac/Vigileo(TM) cardiac output (COFT/V) and the MostCare(®)/PRAM cardiac output (COMC/P) versus transthoracic echocardiographic cardiac output estimation (reference method; CO(ECHO)). DESIGN: Prospective observational study. SETTING: Single center, Cardio-Thoracic and Vascular Surgery/Intensive Care Unit. PARTICIPANTS: Patients undergoing elective vascular surgery. INTERVENTIONS: Cardiac output measurement with two pulse contour methods: the FloTrac/Vigileo(TM) and the MostCare(®)/PRAM before (T1) and after (T2) fluid loading versus echocardiography (reference method). MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS: One hundred fifty-six CO measurements were performed in 26 patients. The data showed poor agreement between CO(ECHO) and CO(FT/V): r(2) = 0.29 (T1) and 0.27 (T2); bias -0.37 (T1) and -0.40 (T2) L/min; limits of agreement from -3.10 to 2.42 (T1) and from -3.0 to 2.2 (T2) L/min. The percentage error was 51.7% (T1) and 49.3% (T2). Conversely, COMC/P resulted in agreement with echocardiography: r(2) = 0.76 (T1) and 0.80 (T2); bias -0.01 (T1) and -0.06 (T2) L/min; limits of agreement from -1.13 to 1.11 (T1) and from -0.90 to 0.80 (T2) L/min, with a PE of 22.4% (T1) and of 17.0% (T2). CONCLUSIONS: In patients undergoing vascular surgery, the FloTrac/Vigileo(TM) did not demonstrate that it was a reliable system for CO monitoring when compared with echocardiography-derived CO. However, MostCare(®)/PRAM was shown to estimate CO with a good level of agreement with echocardiographic measures.