List the important pieces of information that could be obtained from an arterial waveform tracing.
1) Systolic, diastolic, mean and pulse pressures
2) Heart rate and rhythm
3) Effect of dysrhythmias on pefusion
4) ECG lead disconnect
5) Continuous cardiac output using pulse contour analysis
6) Specific waveform morphologies might be diagnostic – eg slow rising pulse –AS, pulsus paradoxus in tamponade
7) Systolic pressure variation or pulse pressure variation may be useful in predicting fluid responsiveness.
This question closely resembles Question 30.2 from the second paper of 2013
From Bersten and Soni's" Oh's Intensive Care Manual", 6th Edition; plus McGhee and Bridges Monitoring Arterial Blood Pressure: What You May Not Know (Crit Care Nurse April 1, 2002 vol. 22 no. 2 60-79 )
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