Pulmonary artery catheterization is a medical procedure in which a thin, flexible tube called a catheter is inserted into the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery is a blood vessel that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs for oxygenation.
Pulmonary artery catheterization is primarily used in critical care medicine to monitor pressure and flow within the heart and lungs. The catheter is typically inserted through a large vein in the neck, groin, or arm and guided into the right atrium of the heart, then passed through the right ventricle and into the pulmonary artery.
Once the catheter is in place, various measurements can be taken to assess cardiac and pulmonary function. For instance, it allows the measurement of pulmonary artery pressure, which can help diagnose and evaluate conditions such as pulmonary hypertension or congestive heart failure. It also allows for the direct measurement of cardiac output, which provides information about the heart's pumping ability.
Pulmonary artery catheterization may also be used to guide the administration of fluids or medications by providing real-time feedback on how these interventions are affecting the patient's hemodynamics.
While pulmonary artery catheterization can provide valuable information, it is an invasive procedure that carries certain risks, such as infection, arrhythmias, or pulmonary artery rupture. Therefore, it is typically reserved for patients in critical condition or those requiring advanced hemodynamic monitoring.
