Lab 4 Assessment and Analysis of Cardiovascular Function in the Pig

Purpose: to introduce the student to clinical and research tools that allow for the assessment of hemodynamics and
cardiac function

Echocardiography to Assess Cardiac Function

• Non-invasive technique for attaining anatomical and functional information
• M-mode: provides an “ice-pick” view of the heart where dimensions of cavities and thickness of structures can
be measured and the timing of changes in these measurements can be observed
• Doppler echo: allows visualization of the velocity profile of blood flowing into the left ventricle through the
mitral valve. The early (E) wave corresponding to early diastolic filling and the second (A) wave corresponding
to atrial contraction can be visualized and their amplitudes can be measured and ratioed in order to provide an
index of diastolic function

Left Ventricular Pressure-Volume Relationship

Cardiac Output Measurement by Thermodilution
• A small amount of cold saline is injected through a Swan-Ganz catheter into an area such as the R atrium or the
R ventricle to allow mixing of saline with the blood. The change in blood temperature is measured over time at
a point distal to the injection site.
• This procedure is based on the law of conservation of mass, such that the cardiac output is inversely
proportional to the area under the curve.