Pulmonary Artery Catheters are proving to be critical in the detection of heart failure and evaluate the effects of drugs

 

Pulmonary artery catheters, also known as right upper artery catheterization or roentgenography, is the placement of a narrow catheter through an anastomosis in a lung artery to the pulmonary artery. Its primary function is diagnostic; it's used to find out sepsis or heart disease, monitor cardiovascular treatment, and assess the effect of various medications. Some patients with severe chronic diseases or those receiving high doses of immunosuppressive drugs (such as azathioprine) may require this procedure to make a timely judgment about these treatments. In some instances, such patients may require open-angle glaucoma surgery instead of a tracheostomy to access their arteries. The frequency and thus the need for these procedures vary according to the patient's condition and the severity of their disease.

 Pulmonary artery catheters are not routinely used on patients in the intensive care units (ICU), such as neonatal intensive care, ventilator patients, or patients with respiratory illness. They're most often required in the ICU to facilitate early detection of ventricular tachycardia and its potential complications. For example, if a newborn is suspected of having congenital heart disease or cardiomyopathy, a blood test called an echocardiogram will usually reveal abnormal heart rhythm. Because this condition often presents itself with no symptoms, the father or other male family members must be notified of the potential for cardiomyopathy.

Most patients who are assigned to the intensive care unit (ICU) require catheterization as well. The presence of a poor defibrillator or any other hospital-related equipment that malfunctions can result in life-or-death situations for severely ill patients. Pulmonary artery catheters are used in such circumstances to enable physicians to make a correct diagnosis and thus, facilitate early intervention. A patient with severe, life-threatening heart disease may not respond to standard treatments. In these instances, rapid assessment and potential treatment using a pulse oximeter and/or aortic valve pressure can prevent a potentially fatal pulmonary embolism from occurring. Recently, in the U.S., a new, non-invasive, artery mapping technology has been introduced that gives doctors at HSHS St. John’s Hospital more information about the heart.

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