This case focuses on how pulmonary artery catheters are used in critically ill patients by asking the question: Do critically ill patients benefit from early insertion of a pulmonary artery catheter to help guide management? In critically ill patients, pulmonary artery catheterization did not lead to improved outcomes compared with standard care without catheterization. There were no significant differences in mortality between patients in the pulmonary artery catheter group and control group. There were also no significant differences between patients in the pulmonary artery catheter group and patients in the control group with respect to organ system failure or the need for mechanical ventilation, dialysis, or vasoactive medications. This trial, along with other trials of pulmonary artery catheterization, demonstrates the importance of evaluating widely used technologies that have never been adequately assessed.
