Cardiac Outputs and Shunts

The measurement of cardiac output in the cardiac catheterization laboratory is fundamental to the diagnosis of suspected shock and calculation of valve areas and vascular resistances (pulmonary and systemic vascular resistance). Similarly, the calculation of cardiac shunts provides critical diagnostic information for multiple congenital and acquired cardiac conditions, including those following therapeutic interventions such as surgery for congenital heart disease or percutaneous interventions such as atrial septal defect closure. The understanding of these methods and measurements is fundamental to the practice of invasive cardiology.