A New Monitor to Measure Dermal Blood Flow in Critically Ill Patients: a Preliminary Study

DBF, finger plethysmography and invasive mean arterial pressure (MAP) were recorded over an 8-hour period. DBF was measured using the I.S. MedTech DBF monitor, based on the hot-wire principle of thermal balance of a heater cooled by a moving medium, via a skin probe placed on the anterior chest wall. Sensitivity was evaluated by visual inspection during active states, either induced, e.g. fluid administration, or spontaneous, e.g. altered hemodynamics. Specificity was evaluated during stable states (minimal fluctuations of MAP and no active interventions applied or required). Data are expressed in terms of standard deviation (SD) and of the difference (SDD) between the MAP and each of the tested methods.