Validation of the qCO cardiac output monitor during Valsalva maneuver

Monitoring cardiac output for a variety of patient conditions is essential to ensure tissue perfusion and oxygenation. Cardiac output can be measured either invasively using a pulmonary artery catheter or non-invasively using impedance cardiography (ICG). The objective of the present study was to validate a cardiac output monitor, the qCO (Quantium Medical, Barcelona, Spain). The qCO is based on the ICG principle. Twenty-five volunteers (18-75 years) were enrolled in the study. The duration of the study was 10 min. The subjects were asked to rest quietly in an armchair for a duration of 5 min. At 5 min they were asked to do a Valsalva maneuver which is known to decrease the cardiac output. The baseline value of the normalized cardiac output (qCO index) was compared with the minimum value during the Valsalva maneuver. The results showed (t-test, p<;0.0005) significant difference between the cardiac output estimated at baseline and during the Valsalva maneuver. In conclusion, the qCO was able to indicate trend changes of the cardiac output in volunteers.