[A new catheter for hemodynamic studies].

It is reported on a new catheter technique for the determination of the cardiac output by means of the method of thermodilution. It consists of a thin sensorcatheter (3 Ch), which contains a microthermistor as temperature sensor and additionally two electrodes. The insertion of the catheter is carried out via puncture of the subclavian vein by means of a special introducer set, the outer sheath of which can used for injecting the cold solution. The positioning of the sensor catheter into the pulmonary artery may be done by intracardiac ECG monitoring with the help of the two electrodes. By means of these electrodes, however, also an electric stimulation of the right ventricle is possible, so that, for instance, haemodynamic investigations depending on stimulation parameters can be performed by only one catheter. The clinical test of the new catheter-set was very successful.