Theoretical and model analysis of the unreliability of cardiac output measurement by means of the thermodilution method

Thermodilution is the clinically most often applied method of cardiac output measurements. This method is based on thermal indicator (iced isotonic salt solution) variation measurements by a Swan-Ganz catheter located inside the pulmonary artery. The unreliability of thermodilution should be estimated theoretically because of the lack of references. In this paper an attempt has been made to estimate theoretically the unreliability of thermodilution cardiac output measurements.