AMERICAN EDWARDS LABORATORIES Cardiac Output Computer

Circa Late 1970's to Late 1980's

A specialized medical computer used to measure a patient's cardiac output—the volume of blood the heart pumps per minute—using the thermodilution technique. This specific analog-style monitor (and its sibling, the 9520A) was manufactured and widely used throughout the late 1970s and 1980s.

Use Cases:

• Critical Care & ICUs: Historically used at the bedside to monitor hemodynamically unstable patients, such as those in septic or cardiogenic shock, to guide fluid and medication therapy.

• Operating Rooms: Utilized during high-risk cardiac and vascular surgeries where precise, real-time measurements of blood flow were required.

• Hemodynamic Assessment: It works in conjunction with a Swan-Ganz catheter(pulmonary artery catheter). A cold liquid is injected into the heart, and this computer calculates flow by measuring how much the blood temperature changes as it passes a sensor on the catheter tip.

Specialized EMS & Paramedic Use Cases:

• Critical Care Transport (CCT): Use by specialized CCT Paramedics and Flight Nurses during the inter-hospital transfer of critically ill patients. In these scenarios, the patient already has an invasive catheter in place, and this computer allows the transport team to monitor cardiac performance during high-risk transit.

• Mobile Coronary Care Units (MCCU): Historically, during the "EMS Revolution" of the 1970s, some pioneering Mobile Coronary Care Units utilized advanced hemodynamic monitors to manage complex cardiac patients in the field under direct physician supervision.

Limitations in Standard EMS:

• Invasive Requirement: Unlike a standard ECG or blood pressure cuff, this monitor requires a catheter to be threaded through the heart and into the pulmonary artery—a procedure that is not performed in the pre-hospital, non-surgical setting.

• Modern Alternatives: Modern EMS systems now prioritize non-invasive methods for estimated cardiac output, such as Ultrasonic Cardiac Output Monitoring (USCOM)or handheld Electrical Cardiometry (EC) devices, which provide similar data without the need for invasive lines.

Historical Significance:

AMERICAN EDWARDS LABORATORIES was a pioneer in this field. The "Swan-Ganz" catheter, introduced in 1970, revolutionized bedside monitoring by moving complex cardiac measurements out of specialized labs and directly into the intensive care unit.

(H-10.5cm x W-29.5cm x D-27.5cm)