Continuous monitoring of ScvO(2) by a new fibre-optic technology compared with blood gas oximetry in critically ill patients: a multicentre study.

Abstract

The aim of this study was to compare the accuracy of the CeVOX monitor measuring continuous central venous saturation (ScvO(2)) with laboratory blood gas oximetry under clinical circumstances. Prospective, multicentre, observational study. Five adult general intensive care units. Fifty-three critically ill patients. The fibre-optic probe was inserted into an ordinary central venous catheter's distal lumen. Blood samples were taken from this line via a Y-adapter every 8 h and ScvO(2) was measured with a laboratory co-oximeter. Patients were observed for a maximum of 5 days. Results were compared using linear regression and the Bland and Altman plots. The 526 matched pairs of ScvO(2) showed a significant correlation between the two methods (r = 0.79, p< 0.001). Bland-Altman plots showed an overall mean bias of -0.3% and moderate agreement (lower and upper levels of agreement: -13.2% and 12.5%). Correlation for the first time point, and for differences between the first two time points for each method revealed good correlation: (n = 53): r = 0.79, p< 0.001; (n = 50): r = 0.58, p< 0.001, respectively. These results in a heterogeneous group of critically ill patients show that continuous ScvO(2) monitoring by the CeVOX technology yielded results comparable with those obtained by laboratory co-oximetry and therefore can be relied on in everyday clinical practice.