Estimation of Stroke Volume Changes by Ultrasonic Doppler

The purpose of this study was to conduct a controlled evaluation of the continuous-wave Doppler technique for the estimation of stroke volume changes. Six anesthetized dogs were studied. Aortic blood velocity was recorded from the suprasternal notch by a special continuous-wave Doppler unit. Cardiac output was varied by fluid infusion and exsanguination, and over 300 simultaneous records of aortic blood velocity and thermodilution cardiac output were taken. Average stroke volume and average systolic velocity integral (SVI), the area under the Doppler velocity curve were calculated. The relationship of SVI to stroke volume was evaluated for each animal using linear regression. Average results were: correlation coefficient 0.95 +/- 0.04 SD; y-intercept 0.38 +/- 0.14 cm(SD); standare error of fit 0.29 +/- 0.03 cm (SD). These data show that the systolic integral of aortic blood velocity was essentially directly proportional to stroke volume, even over a six-fold range. Thus, this technique will provide an accurate non-invasive estimate of changes in stroke volume.