Patent ID: 8679025

Claim:
A method for determination of cardiac output from a recording of an arterial pressure waveform, the method comprising the following steps: a) measuring the patient's peripheral arterial pressure relative to time and using a processor to estimate a central pressure waveform (CPW) from the patient's peripheral arterial pressure; b) estimating, using the processor, from the CPW, forward Pressure pulse height (P f ), flow waveform and Pulse Wave Velocity (PWV) in the ascending aorta; c) calculating a peak velocity fluctuation V in the ascending aorta using the following Water Hammer formula: V=P f /(ρ* PWV), where ρ is the density of blood; d) calibrating an aortic flow waveform from the estimated flow waveform using V; and e) calculating the patient's cardiac output from the calibrated aortic flow waveform.