Comparison of cardiac outputs during major surgery using the Deltex CardioQ oesophageal Doppler monitor and the Novametrix-Respironics NICO: A prospective observational study

AbstractIntroductionRecent studies have emphasised the importance of optimisation of intraoperative fluid administration in patients undergoing major abdominal surgery. A variety of non-invasive devices capable of measuring cardiac output are available for this purpose. Most studies have used the Deltex CardioQ Oesophageal Doppler monitor (DCQ ODM, Deltex, Chichester, Sussex, UK). A relatively new, totally non-invasive cardiac monitor is now available, the Novametrix-Respironics NICO machine (Novametrix-Respironics, USA).AimsThis pilot study compared cardiac output values obtained during major abdominal surgery from the simultaneous use of these two devices.ObjectivesTo assess the reproducibility and consistency of the readings obtained to determine whether these monitors can be used interchangeably for optimising perioperative fluid administration.Methods182 simultaneous paired cardiac output readings were obtained from 12 consecutive patients undergoing prolonged major abdominal surgery. These were analysed using correlation coefficients, scattergrams and Bland Altman plots.ResultsAlthough the r value obtained for correlation was 0.3639 (p