Double Lumen Catheter for Intravenous and Intracardiac Blood Sampling and Pressure Recording.

Abstract

A double lumen, x-ray, opaque, flexible catheter with curved tip has been devised for simultaneous sampling of blood and pressure pulse readings in two adjacent parts of the large veins, the right heart cavaties and the pulmonary artery of man. The no. 10 catheter is divided internally into 2 tubes separated by a rigid partition, the terminal openings of each tube being 10 cm. apart. Simultaneous recordings of pressure pulse in the right auricle and ventricle and in the pulmonary artery and right ventricle have been obtained. Preliminary observation on the O2 content of the right ventricle and right auricle showed excellent agreement in 8 of 9 cases.