Continuous hemodynamic monitoring, such as stroke volume and cardiac output, is normally performed using a pulmonary artery catheter. Yet, the very patients that are fragile enough to require such monitoring are often not the best candidates to handle such invasive devices. This has led to difficult choices having to be made on how to manage weak post-surgical patients who can benefit from blood volume and flow monitoring. 
A new system from Edwards Lifesciences, just been cleared by the FDA, now offers advanced hemodynamic information, comparable to that provided by minimally invasive catheters, using only an inflatable finger cuff and finger heart reference sensor.
The technology has actually been used by astronauts to measure their blood pressure while in orbit. Here on planet Earth, the ClearSight system also provides stroke volume, stroke volume variation, cardiac output, and systemic vascular resistance. The hope is that the new system will allow many more ICU patients to be under close monitoring, leading to fewer surprises and proactive decision making by the clinical staff.
More about the technology from the product page:
The ClearSight system leverages the ccNexfin technology which has been used as the standard for monitoring in space for decades, ccNexfin noninvasive technology (volume clamp, Physiocal) has been validated against gold-standard monitoring technologies.
Clinical data demonstrate noninvasive ccNexfin BP technology obtains mean arterial pressure values comparable to invasive monitoring, with the advantage of continuous measurement.Several studies have shown the ability of this noninvasive technology to measure not only absolute cardiac output values, but also reliably track real-time changes in continuous cardiac output (CO).
Product page: The ClearSight System…
Press release: Edwards Receives FDA Clearance For Advanced Noninvasive Monitoring System…
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