Trends in the Use of the Pulmonary Artery Catheter in the United States, 1993-2004

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Abstract
The pulmonary artery (PA) catheter first became available as a practical diagnostic tool in 19701 and was rapidly embraced by critical care physicians. The PA catheter (also known as the Swan-Ganz catheter) made quantitative hemodynamic data, such as cardiac output and pulmonary capillary wedge pressure, accessible to physicians at the bedside. Many physicians assumed that these numbers could guide treatment and ultimately reduce mortality in critically ill patients. Within several years, PA catheterization was widely used throughout the United States. In the 1980s, 20% to 43% of seriously ill patients who were hospitalized were reported to undergo the procedure.2-4

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