All issues > Volume 33(8); 1990

Original Article

J Korean Pediatr Soc. 1990;33(8):1074-1080. Published online August 31, 1990.

Assessment of Cardiac Output by Doppler Ultrasound Technique Alone.

Young Ho Ahn¹, Sung Min Choi¹, Nam Geun Heo¹, Sang Bum Lee¹

¹Department of Pediatrics, College of Medicine, Kyungpook National University, Taegu, Korea

Received: February 23, 1990;  Accepted: April 24, 1990.

Abstract

The normal range of ascending aortic blood velocity was determined in 23 healthy children including 8 newborn infants and compared with 12 anemic children, using a pulsed Doppler ultrasound technique from suprasternal long axis view. Integration of the area under the velocity-time curve for each heart beat gave stroke distance, which, when multiplied by heart rate, gave minute distance. Stroke distance and minute distance are an indication of stroke volume and cardiac output respectively. Stroke distance of healthy children over the age of one (23.76±4.03cm) was higher than that of healthy children under the age of one (13.94±1.85 cm) by 70.4% and minute distance of healthy children over the age of one (2,257±364 cm/min) was higher than that of healthy children under the age of one (1,752±286 cm/min)by 28.8%(p<0.01). Minute distance gave the greatest discrim- ination between healthy children (2,015±413cm/min) and anemic children (2,708±503cm/min) and was increased in anemic children by 34.4% (p<0.01). Measurement of ascending aortic velocity and its derivation alone, without determination of aortic cross sectional area, is a safe, simple, and physiologically valid way of assessing cardiac, output.

Keywords :Doppler ultrasound, Stroke distance, Minute distance, Cardiac output