Impedance Measurements Aid Cardiac Management

In a study of 80 patients with heart failure, noninvasive impedance technology demonstrated the ability to assess the clinical status of patients and predict outcomes, thereby aiding the treatment efforts of cardiologists. The study's researchers found that the measurements of cardiac index and thoracic fluid content provided by the technology were important determinants in predicting which clinically stable patients would be hospitalized within a 30-day period as a result of clinical instability, or decompensation. The study was presented at the Fourth Annual Heart Failure Society Scientific Meeting in Boca Raton (FL, USA).

The impedance technology, called BioZ, measures 12 hemodynamic parameters, such as cardiac output, stroke volume, and left ventricular ejection time. BioZ differs from an electrocardiogram (ECG) in that the latter indicates blood flow to the heart tissue (among other things), while BioZ measures blood flow from the heart. After sensors are placed on the chest, a low-energy, high frequency alternating current is transmitted through the chest, which cannot be felt by the patient. The electrical signal is analyzed by software and recorded. The technology was developed by CardioDynamics International (San Diego, CA, USA).

Patients with advanced heart failure require complex medical decisions about care during routine clinical visits, explained Hector Ventura, M.D., of Tulane University Medical Center (New Orleans, LA, USA). Up to now, most of these decisions have been based primarily on routine history and physical examination.



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