Performance of a new on-line computer for indicator-dilution curves

¹ Departments of Medicine and Electrical Engineering, Northwestern University, Chicago and Evanston, Illinois

An analog computer was designed for on-line computation of the area under indicator-dilution curves. From a model circulation and from two dogs, 165 tricarbocyanine green dilution curves were recorded with a cuvette densitometer, together with the computed area and signals indicating 60% and 30% of the peak deflection on the down slope of the curve. An IBM 709 digital computer was programmed to compare automatically and conventionally computed flow rates, to analyze sources of error in the computer, and to determine the goodness of fit of the extrapolated exponentials. The results indicated stable operation of the computer. The mean difference between the computer and graphic integration was minus 1.0% ± 2.4% for 78 flow estimates in the model, and 1.9% ± 2.5% for 30 cardiac output in the dogs. Data suggest that the computer does not introduce a significant error provided the dilution curves are also suitable for established graphic methods of integration.

Submitted on December 6, 1963

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