Assessing The Balloon Pressure Waveform; Normal Balloon Pressure Waveform; Properly Timed Arterial Pressure Waveform - Arrow AutoCAT 2 Series Operating Manual

• After you have achieved optimum timing, press the left arrow key in the ASSIST
RATIO section of the keypad, until 1:1 is selected. Now every heart beat will be
assisted, and the white highlights on the AP waveform are no longer displayed.
• If you lose a reliable trigger signal and change to a new trigger mode, repeat steps
above to optimize timing for this mode. Since each trigger mode has specific timing
settings memory, you will generally only need to reset timing when a trigger mode is
first selected. However, timing should always be assessed when the trigger mode is
changed. PATTERN and PEAK share a common memory for timing.

9. Assessing the Balloon Pressure Waveform

• Compare the blue balloon pressure waveform on the LCD with Figure 6.4.
Normal balloon pressure waveform characteristics include:
baseline between 0 mmHg and 2.5 mmHg
inflation artifact (overshoot)
deflation artifact (undershoot)
SYS
DIA
AVO
Figure 6.5: Properly Timed Arterial Pressure Waveform
Monitor the balloon pressure waveform for helium leaks. If the pressure drops more
than 10 mmHg, a helium leak probably exists and an automatic response alarm will
occur. See Chapter 8 to troubleshoot the problem.
If you wish to compare the AUG of the patient to the BPW plateau, you may use the
cursor key.
• Position the cursor line on the BPW plateau (flat portion - E)
• Note cursor measurement
• Compare to AUG
• The IAB is properly sized when the AUG and BPW are within 25mmHg of each other.
Figure 6.4: Normal Balloon Pressure Waveform
DIA - Diastolic Pressure (or AVO)
AUG
AVO - Aortic Valve Opening
ASYS
SYS - Systolic Pressure
AUG - Augmentation
DN
ADIA - Assisted Diastole
ASYS - Assisted Systole
DN - Dicrotic Notch
ADIA
6 . O p e r a t i n g P r o c e d u r e s
6 . 1 : O p e r a t i n g I n s t r u c t i o n s
Optimizing Inflation/Deflation Timing
6-15