A Study of Noninvasive Cardiac Output and Other Cardiorespiratory Parameters in Various Neurosurgical Positions

Background Neurosurgical patients are operated in supine, prone, lateral, and sitting positions, which cause physiological changes in cardiorespiratory parameters. Noninvasive cardiac output (NICO) monitor developed by Novametrix Medical System Inc is a noninvasive cardiac output monitor, which also measures and displays other parameters like stroke volume, cardiac index, pulmonary capillary blood flow, alveolar and dead space ventilation, peak flow rates, airway pressures, and respiratory volumes. We felt that a study using the NICO monitor in anesthetized patients undergoing neurosurgery in different positions would quantify the cardiopulmonary changes, identify risk factors, and improve intraoperative management. Materials and methods A total of 40 consecutive patients undergoing neurosurgical procedures—20 in prone, 16 in lateral and 4 in sitting position—were studied. The hemodynamic and cardiorespiratory parameters were noted in supine position about 15 minutes after induction of general anesthesia using standard protocol and 15 minutes after giving surgical position using NICO monitor. Conclusion We conclude that under anesthesia, the prone and sitting positions negatively affect derived cardiac parameters like cardiac output, cardiac index, and stroke volume, and lateral position tends to improve these parameters while the respiratory parameters are not significantly affected. How to cite this article Karnik HS, Nerurkar AA, Bawankule N. A Study of Noninvasive Cardiac Output and Other Cardiorespiratory Parameters in Various Neurosurgical Positions. Res Inno Anaesth 2016;1(1):19-24.