Advanced
Technical
IVT
thermodilution
A technique for measuring cardiac output using temperature changes following injection of cold solution.
Full Definition
Thermodilution is a method for measuring cardiac output in critically ill pediatric patients using a pulmonary artery catheter or specialized monitoring system. Cold saline is injected into the right atrium, and temperature changes are measured downstream in the pulmonary artery to calculate cardiac output using the Stewart-Hamilton equation. In pediatrics, transpulmonary thermodilution systems like PiCCO are increasingly used as they provide additional parameters such as extravascular lung water and stroke volume variation.
Usage
Usage note: One word, not 'thermo-dilution' or 'thermo dilution'.
In Context
- "Cardiac output was measured using transpulmonary thermodilution technique." — Hemodynamic monitoring report
- "The thermodilution curve showed good reproducibility across three measurements." — Cardiovascular assessment
Also known as
thermal dilution
Don't confuse with
Fick method
echocardiography
pulse contour analysis