1995/04/01 by R. G. HAHN, Robert G. Hahn, H. LARSSON +3
Medicine · #Urinary Bladder and Prostate Research #Hemodynamic Monitoring and Therapy #Anesthesia and Pain Management
paper · doi:10.1111/j.1365-2044.1995.tb04609.x
We have designed an automatic detector system for noninvasive monitoring of irrigating fluid absorption during transurethral resection of the prostate. Ethanol, which is used as a tracer for the fluid, is measured in the expired breath of the patient. The breath ethanol monitor can be used both in the awake patient and during general anaesthesia. A lap-top computer controls the monitor and calculates the fluid absorption 1-3 times per min and uses the pattern of ethanol changes to indicate whether the fluid is being taken by the intra- and/or extravascular route. The monitor has been used in routine operations for one year. The interpretation of absorption routes was checked by control methods or by evaluation of the postoperative breath-ethanol curve. We found the indicated absorption to be correct in all resections with absorption large enough for the monitor to present an interpretation.