Ability of the third-generation FloTrac/Vigileo software to track changes in cardiac output in cardiac surgery patients: a polar plot approach

Objective: To evaluate the ability of the third-generation (3.01) of FloTrac/Vigileo monitor (Edwards Lifesciences, Irvine, CA) to follow variations in cardiac output (∆CO) using the new polar plot approach.

Design: Prospective interventional study.

Setting: Single hospital university study.

Participants: Twenty-five patients referred for cardiac surgery.

Interventions: CO was measured simultaneously by 3 to 5 bolus thermodilution (COtd measurements), using a pulmonary artery catheter and by arterial pulse contour analysis, using the FloTrac/Vigileo (COvi). Data were collected at eight time points: before incision, after sternotomy, before and after protamine sulfate infusion, at the start of sternal closure, at the end of surgery, on arrival to intensive care unit, and after a standardized volume expansion with 500 mL of hetastarch 6%.

Measurements and main results: One-hundred thirty-five pairs of CO data were collected; the mean bias of all CO measurements corrected for repeated measures was 0.2 L/min with limits of agreements of -3.3 L/min and +2.9 L/min. The percentage error was 66.5%. The polar plot analysis included 71 significant ∆CO and showed a mean polar angle of -3.4 degrees with 95% polar percentage error equivalent limits of -61 to 55; 69% of analysed data points fell within the 30-degree limits and provided a correct polar concordance rate.

Conclusions: Third-generation FloTrac/Vigileo software still lacks the accuracy to reliably detect changes in cardiac output (∆CO) in cardiac surgery. Improvements to FloTrac/Vigileo CO algorithm and software still are needed in this particular setting.