Use of the pulmonary artery catheter decreased by 65 percent in the U.S. between 1993 and 2004, possibly due to growing evidence that this invasive procedure does not reduce the risk of death for hospitalized patients, according to a study in the July 25 issue of JAMA. The pulmonary artery (PA) catheter (a thin, flexible tube that is inserted into a pulmonary artery) first became available as a practical diagnostic tool in 1970 and was rapidly embraced by critical care physicians, according to background information in the article. The PA catheter made measurements such as cardiac output and pressure within the small vessels in the lungs accessible to physicians at the bedside. ?any physicians assumed that these numbers could guide treatment and ultimately reduce mortality in critically ill patients. Within several years, PA catheterization was widely used throughout the United States. In the 1980s, 20 percent to 43 percent of seriously ill patients who were hospitalized were reported to undergo the procedure,?the authors write.
