The measurement of cardiac output (CO) and hemodynamic pressures are vital for proper management of severely hemodynamic compromised patients. A new ultrasound dilution method (COstatus) for cardiac output measurement has been developed.

The thermodilution technique with a pulmonary artery catheter has been the standard in adult patients for cardiac output measurement. However, using pulmonary artery catheter remains a major clinical problem in children due to technical and size constraints.

COstatus measures changes in blood ultrasound velocity in an extracorporeal AV loop caused by body-temperature isotonic saline injected into the central vein and calculates cardiac output derived from a dilution curve.

Inclusion Criteria:

• Children <15 kg admitted to pediatric cardiac surgery for corrective surgery and mechanically ventilated were eligible for the study if parents provided informed consent.

Exclusion Criteria:

• Children with known significant tricuspid or mitral valve regurgitations or if it is detected by the preoperative transesophageal echocardiographic examination.
• Children with persistent severe arrhythmias.
• Children with remaining intracardiac shunts after surgery, which may adversely affect the measurement.

Pediatric Patients (< 15) in the ICU