[The value of the pulmonary-artery catheter: not ruled out, but not proven either].

A number of prospective, randomized trials have recently been published on the effects of using the pulmonary artery (Swan-Ganz) catheter in the peri-operative management of high-risk patients and in the treatment of critically ill patients on the intensive-care unit. These studies show that using the pulmonary-artery catheter does not lead to increased survival. It cannot be excluded that more beneficial effects would have been found with other treatment goals, or if different populations had been studied. However, based on the present evidence from the literature, the routine use of the pulmonary-artery catheter can no longer be defended.