Pulmonary artery catheterization and wedge pressure measurement in the general intensive therapy unit.

Central venous pressure measurement may be misleading in selective left heart failure and in patients with high pulmonary vascular resistance. More direct information about pulmonary venous pressure and left heart filling pressures may be obtained by catheterization of the pulmonary artery with flow-directed balloon catheters. The use of such catheters, without radiographic control, by those inexperienced in orthodox cardiac catheterization is described. The catheter may be used also in the measurement of cardiac output and in the treatment of a massive pulmonary embolism.