Oxygen-Monitoring Catheter Aids Trauma Patients

A study has shown that a new urinary catheter that monitors oxygen delivery to organs is useful for treating trauma and critical care patients after severe hemorrhagic shock. The study findings were reported at the annual meeting of the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma in Orlando, FL (USA).

Investigators constructed a urinary catheter with a fluorescent-based fiber optic probe that directly measures blood flow and oxygen utilization. Animal studies showed that during hemorrhage, changes in blood flow and oxygen delivery to the urethra were correlated. This finding suggested that information on the clinical status of trauma patients could be collected in a more timely way and monitored by this less-invasive means.

"By developing better ways to monitor trauma and critical care patients in the intensive care unit we can implement timely decisions regarding their care,” said Juan Carlos Puyana, M.D., associate professor of surgery and critical care medicine at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine (UPMC, PA, USA) and senior author of the study. In addition, Dr. Puyana is a trauma surgeon at the UPMC Presbyterian Trauma Center.

"We hope by using technology such as this, we can begin to learn more about the mechanisms of trauma and associated organ failure so we can begin to formulate better outcomes for these patients,” added Dr. Puyana.




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