Anaes Cases · Invasive monitoring
An overdamped arterial line trace
A focused case on the overdamped arterial line — the smooth, low-amplitude trace, the falsely low systolic, the falsely high diastolic, the causes (the air bubble, the kink, the clot), and the square-wave test.
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Prompt
The arterial line trace after insertion is smooth and low-amplitude, with a systolic reading of 140 that seems too low for this patient. The NIBP reads 190. Discuss the diagnosis.
Presentation
After the arterial line insertion, the trace is smooth and low-amplitude, with no sharp upstroke. The systolic reads 140 and the diastolic 95. The non-invasive cuff on the other arm reads 190/100. The patient is a 70-year-old for a vascular surgery.[41971680]
References2ShowHide
- [3]Kane AD, et al. Continuous ARterial monitoring in Elderly and Frail patients for hip fractUre surgery to prevent Low blood pressure - the CAREFUL Study Protocol. Anaesthesia Reports, 2026.PMID 41971679
- [41971680]Bersten AD, Soni N (eds) Oh's Intensive Care Manual. 8th edition, Elsevier, 2018.