Targeted Volume Management

All patients undergoing surgery are at risk from serious and potentially life-threatening complications caused by a reduction in circulating blood volume. This condition, known as hypovolaemia, results from the combined effects of pre-operative fasting, the anaesthetic agent and the blood lost during the surgical procedure. In many respects hypovolaemia can be thought of as akin to severe dehydration.

The complications that hypovolaemia causes arise because the reduced circulating blood volume is unable to carry sufficient oxygen to the major organs and tissues. All of these systems are at risk of failure as a consequence of the resultant oxygen deprivation.

The CardioQ™ monitors the flow of blood leaving the heart with every beat as it happens and consequently can detect any reduction in circulating blood volume early and in real-time. This allows the anaesthetist to intervene quickly and safely to correct the situation, using a combination of specialised fluids and drugs, before the hypovolaemia becomes serious and potentially life threatening. The technique of optimising a patient’s haemodynamic status in this way, by giving the right amount of the right fluid at the right time, is known as Targeted Volume Management or TVM.

Using the CardioQ™ to monitor and manage a patient’s circulating blood volume during surgery helps them to recover more fully and more quickly. Using the CardioQ™ means that fewer patients need to go to intensive care and those that do tend to stay there for shorter periods. Because patient journeys through the hospital are more predictable and because fewer patients unexpectedly need intensive care support, the CardioQ™ can play an important part in improving the efficiency and productivity of any healthcare system.

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