Thermodilution cardiac output and ejection fraction: a mathematical analysis

It is recognized that low cardiac output and the presence of tricuspid regurgitation can introduce error into measurements of hemodynamics using the thermal dilution technique. The authors developed a mathematical model of heat transport through the right heart to simulate thermodilution cardiac output and ejection fraction measurement. They subjected the model to various levels of cardiac output, ejection fraction, and tricuspid regurgitation fraction to determine magnitude and possibly sources of error. The authors provide evidence that the accuracy is more likely affected by the method of measurement and suggest methods to reduce error.<>