Monitoring pulmonary artery pressures in critically ill patients.

A flow-directed Swan-Ganz catheter was used for the catheterisation of the pulmonary artery in critically ill patients. The monitoring of pulmonary artery pressures provided reliable information regarding left ventricular function and pulmonary vascular resistance. Moreover, the pulmonary artery catheter can be used for mixed venous blood sampling. Experiences with pulmonary pressure monitoring for the assessment of left ventricular performance in patients with myocardial infarction and left ventricular failure, for the estimation of lung function in patients with respiratory failure and for the selection of the optimal level of positive end-expiratory ventilation are presented. The advantages of pulmonary artery pressure monitoring for the assessment of the circulatory and respiratory status of critically ill patients are stressed, and technical problems and complications are discussed.