Hemodynamic Monitor Continuously Measures Cardiac Output

A novel device intended for high-risk surgical and critically ill patients’ tracks oxygen delivery status in order to maintain optimal fluid status in a patient’s circulation.

The Retia Medical (Valhalla, NY, USA) Argos Cardiac Output (CO) hemodynamic monitor uses multibeat analysis (MBA) algorithms and signal processing to derive a blood pressure (BP) waveform and a parametric model of blood circulation. An intuitive user-friendly interface seamlessly integrates with all intensive care unit (ICU) and operating room (OR) vital signs monitors and common electronic medical record (EMR) systems. A single cable connection is all that is needed to acquire a BP signal from any vital signs monitor, facilitating set up and eliminating the need for user training.


The MBA algorithm constructs a cardiac contraction signal based on an impulse train, in which each impulse is positioned at the starting point of an arterial blood pressure pulse upstroke, which is then scaled by the subsequent pressure pulse. The MBA algorithm has an overall relative CO error of 15% after a single calibration. The Argos system also takes into calculation the confounding effects of wave reflection, especially due to resistance mismatch high-resistance arteries, which can cause significant inaccuracies.

“A key challenge in realizing the potential clinical benefits of CO monitoring is that many monitors fail to track changes accurately when fluid and vasoactive drug therapy are administered,” said Marc Zemel, co-founder and CEO of Retia Medical. “We designed Retia’s proprietary MBA algorithm to overcome the limitations of current CO monitoring technologies in order to realize the potentially life-saving benefits that accurate and effective hemodynamic management can provide to patients.”

Cardiac output is a term used in cardiac physiology that describes the volume of blood being pumped by the heart, in particular by the left or right ventricle, per unit time. It is the product of the heart rate (HR), and stroke volume (SV), i.e., the volume of blood pumped from the ventricle per beat, expressed in L/min. Because CO is related to the quantity of blood delivered to the body, it is an important indicator of how efficiently the heart can meet the body's demands for perfusion.

Related Links:
Retia Medical