Cardiac output measurements are rarely used in the evaluation of cardiovascular disorders encountered in anaesthesia and intensive care. The thermal dilution technique provides a practical method for its widespread introduction and only requires techniques already familiar to people working in this field. Adequate commercial equipment is now available in Australia, and a consideration of its use is presented. The principle of indicator dilution and its application is described. A comparison is made of dye and thermal dilution, and the relative advantages of two catheter systems for use in thermal dilution are discussed. The reported complications and those experienced by us are presented.
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