Abstract
Background Electrical cardiometry (EC) is a continuous noninvasive method for measuring cardiac
output (CO), but there are limited data on premature infants. We evaluated the utility
of EC monitoring by comparing the results obtained using EC to measurements of CO
and systemic blood flow using echocardiography (ECHO).
Methods In this prospective observational study, 40 preterm neonates underwent 108-paired
EC and ECHO measurements.
Results There were correlations between EC-CO and left ventricular output (LVO, p < 0.005) and right ventricular output (RVO, p < 0.005) but not with superior vena cava (r = 0.093, p = 0.177). Both RVO and LVO correlated with EC with and without a hemodynamically
significant ductus arteriosus (p = 0.001 and 0.008, respectively). The level of agreement was decreased in infants
ventilated by high-frequency oscillation ventilators (HFOV). The bias in HFOV was
also positive compared with the negative biases found in other modes of ventilation.
Conclusion Given the correlation of EC with LVO, RVO, and lack of confounding effects of the
ductus, our results suggest that EC has promise for trending CO in the preterm infant.
However, given the limitations with mode of ventilation and the lack of correlation
at low LVO values, further study is needed before this technology can be for routine
use.
Keywords
neonatology - cardiology - echocardiography - electrical cardiometry
