A-line damping

Q: Excessive tubing lengths will cause an arterial line (A-line) to have? (select one) 

 A) Underdamped waveform 
 B) Overdamped waveform 


 Answer: A 

 Tubing connected with stopcocks, excessive tubing lengths, tachycardia, and high output states are the most common causes of underdamped A-line. 

 In contrast, air bubbles in the tubing, kinked tubings, blood clot in the tubing, low flush bag pressure are the most common causes of overdamped A-line. 

 #procedures 
#hemodynamic 


 References: 

Romagnoli S, Ricci Z, Quattrone D, et al. Accuracy of invasive arterial pressure monitoring in cardiovascular patients: an observational study. Crit Care. 2014;18(6):644. Published 2014 Nov 30. doi:10.1186/s13054-014-0644-4