摘要 |
A catheter assembly for measuring hemodynamic pressure and method. The assembly includes an outer catheter and an inner catheter slidably mounted within the outer catheter lumen. The inner catheter is provided with an inflatable balloon which is used to guide the distal section of the assembly through the heart and to occlude a pulmonary artery or capillary. The inner catheter is provided with a lumen for inflating the baloon and a separate lumen for measuring pressure. The catheter assembly is inserted in the heart of the patient in the conventional manner. The inner catheter is advanced through the outer catheter until the inflated balloon occludes an artery or capillary. Once a pressure measurement is made through the separate inner catheter lumen, the inner catheter is retracted through the outer catheter and the balloon deflated. Subsequent pressure measurements may be made by simply reinflating the balloon and advancing the inner catheter through the fixed outer catheter.
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