What is an intra-arterial pressure sensor?

[Bluebell.]

I could not find adequate information abut it online.

Any help would be most appreciated.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

What do you understand about it so far? Tell us what you know and we can help you out. For example, do you know what such a sensor is measuring and how often?

[Bluebell.]

I know it is used to continuously monitor BP (like when you are giving nitroprusside, for example), but I don't know HOW the mechanism works. That's what I meant when I said I did not know what it was (sorry for the mis-communication). I wanted to see what the device looked like, and exactly how it worked (because that is how I am- I like to know how stuff works), but online resources have not helped.

'Intra' means inside/within and 'arterial' means artery. It sounds like you would stick some needle (that is connected to a machine) into an artery and some sensor puts constant BP readings on a monitor.

[Rose_Queen, BSN, MSN, RN]

What it looks like will vary from manufacturer to manufacturer. Most of the anesthesiologists I work with describe it to patients as an IV that goes into the artery of the wrist and measures blood pressure with every heartbeat. In fact, many of them actually use an IV catheter for their arterial line. It's not so much what is actually inserted into the artery as it is other parts of the system, namely the transducer, pressure tubing, and pressurized bag of saline.

These may be of help for you:

www.icufaqs.org/ArterialLines.doc

Arterial Lines Ppt Presentation

You can also try to do a google search for arterial line powerpoint, which is how I found the two links above.

[la_chica_suerte85, BSN, RN]

This .pdf might explain a little better how the hydraulics and pressure and physics of it all work: http://www.frca.co.uk/Documents/137%20Physical%20principles%20of%20intra-arterial%20blood%20pressure%20measurement.pdf

Basically, the arterial blood flows against a non-compressible fluid in the catheter and the pressure it exerts against this column of fluid is the art-line bp.

[Bluebell.]

Thank you guys for your help and also for the links! They are helpful as well.