Tests and treatments

Swan-Ganz catheter

What is it?

What is it?

At the Intensive Care Department, we first monitor the vital functions of seriously ill patients or patients who threaten to develop a life-threatening problem. We use several different techniques to monitor these vital functions.

One of these techniques is the Swan-Ganz catheter. This sort of catheter is a thin tube that is placed through the skin of the collarbone, the neck or the groin and into one of the body's large hollow veins. We use this thin tube to measure the cardiac output (how much blood per time unit is pumped through the heart). This allows us to determine whether the heart is functioning adequately.

Centres and specialist areas

Centres and specialist areas

Latest publication date: 26/12/2023