Pulmonary fluid status monitoring with intrathoracic impedance.

Various pacemakers can now track diverse hemodynamic parameters that are useful in the management of patients with heart failure. Among these indicators, pulmonary fluid status can be monitored. To the best of our knowledge, this is the first case describing an agreement between a simultaneous detection of an increase in lung water by transthoracic impedance monitoring (OptiVol™ (Medtronic, Inc., Minneapolis, MN), and the transpulmonary thermodilution method (PiCCO™, Pulsion Medical Systems, Munich, Germany) in a patient with acute pulmonary oedema. The present case suggests that transthoracic impedance monitoring could be a useful tool to guide therapy in critically ill patients with implanted devices and lung fluid congestion.