Investigations concerning the application of the cross-correlation method in cardiac output measurements

In 99.2% of the examined cases the extreme of the cross-correlation function was easy to be estimated by numerical algorithms. In 0,8% of the remaining cases (with a plateau region adjacent to the maximum point) numerical detection of the extreme was inaccurate. The typical unreliability of the investigated method amounted o 5.1% (9.8% in the worst case). Investigations performed on a physical model revealed that the unreliability of cardiac output measurements by means of the cross-correlation method is 3–5 times better than in the case of thermodilution.The performed investigations and theoretical analysis have shown, that the cross-correlation method may be applied in cardiac output measurements. This kind of measurements seems to be more accurate and disturbance-resistant than clinically applied thermodilution.