Non-invasive and Minimally-invasive Hemodynamic Monitors

Introduction Hemodynamic monitoring is typically performed to ensure tissue oxygenation in critically ill patients in different settings. Until recently the pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) was widely used for this task in order to assess cardiac output (CO), the primary determinant of oxygen delivery. Today, a variety of minimally invasive hemodynamic monitors are available decreasing the widespread PAC use (1). These techniques provide information of systemic flow and cardiac performance as well as intravascular fluid status.