Nature 232, 335 - 336 (30 July 1971); doi:10.1038/232335a0

Non-surgical Assessment of Cardiac Function

C. D. SIDE & R. G. GOSLING

Department of Physics, Guy's Hospital Medical School, London SE1

CARDIAC catheterization to evaluate myocardial or valvular function should not be used in the seriously ill patient and is difficult in the infant¹. Furthermore, its use is justified for neither periodic screening examinations nor for routine monitoring at surgery. The clinical value of continuous monitoring of a parameter closely related to myocardial efficiency during and immediately after surgery cannot be over-emphasized. The social implications of the ability to screen for valvular disorders and decreased myocardial efficiency before infarction are more difficult to predict.

References

1.	Mendel, D., A Practice of Cardiac Catheterisation, 5 (Blackwell, Oxford, 1968).
2.	Gosling, R. G., King, D. H., Newman, D. L., and Woodcock, J. P., J. Ultrasonics, UIC Papers, 16 (1969).
3.	Schultz, D., Tunstall-Pedoe, D., Lee, G. de J., Gunning, A., and Bellhouse, B., in Circulatory and Mass Transport, CIBA Conf. 172 (Churchill, London, 1969).