A new noninvasive finger sensor (NICCI system) for cardiac output monitoring

BACKGROUND: The new noninvasive finger sensor system NICCI (Getinge; Gothenburg, Sweden) allows continuous cardiac output monitoring. We aimed to investigate its cardiac output measurement performance.

OBJECTIVES: To investigate the NICCI system's cardiac output measurement performance.

DESIGN: Prospective method comparison study.

SETTING: University Medical Center Hamburg-Eppendorf, Hamburg, Germany.

PATIENTS: Fifty-one patients after cardiac surgery.

MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES: We performed a method comparison study in 51 patients after cardiac surgery to compare NICCI cardiac output (CONICCI) and NICCI cardiac output calibrated to pulmonary artery thermodilution cardiac output measurement (CONICCI-CAL) with pulmonary artery thermodilution cardiac output (COPAT). As a secondary analysis we also compared CNAP cardiac output (COCNAP) and externally calibrated CNAP cardiac output (COCNAP-CAL) with COPAT.

RESULTS: We analysed 299 cardiac output measurement pairs. The mean of the differences (95% limits of agreement) between CONICCI and COPAT was 0.6 (-1.8 to 3.1) l min-1 with a percentage error of 48%. The mean of the differences between CONICCI-CAL and COPAT was -0.4 (-1.9 to 1.1) l min-1 with a percentage error of 29%. The mean of the differences between COCNAP and COPAT was 1.0 (-1.8 to 3.8) l min-1 with a percentage error of 53%. The mean of the differences between COCNAP-CAL and COPAT was -0.2 (-2.0 to 1.6) l min-1 with a percentage error of 35%.

CONCLUSION: The agreement between CONICCI and COPAT is not clinically acceptable.

TRIAL REGISTRATION: The study was registered in the German Clinical Trial Register (DRKS00023189) after inclusion of the first patient on October 2, 2020.