Abstract
Monitoring of mixed venous oxygen saturation (Sv̄O2) allows assessment of the global balance between oxygen supply and demand. Sv̄O2 measurement requires the insertion of a pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) whereas central venous oxygen saturation (ScvO2) monitoring only requires a central venous catheter. The aim of this study was to assess how continuous measurements of ScvO2 relate to simultaneous measurements of Sv̄O2 during and after cardiac surgery. Continuous Sv̄O2 and ScvO2 measurements in 15 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery were recorded each minute for 24 hours. Bland-Altman analysis of 9,382 paired data points for Sv̄O2 and ScvO2 revealed a mean bias of 4.4% (95% Cl +22.3, −13.6%). Considerable inter- and intra-individual variability was noted. Based on these data and previous studies, ScvO2 and Sv̄O2 are not interchangeable variables.
