Dialysis Program
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Hemodynamic Instability
A patient's Hemodynamic status is determined by an invasive technique of monitoring. This monitoring assesses the pressures within the heart. It provides the medical team with a better and more detailed insight regarding cardiac output of the patient. Factors that determine the cardiac output are preload (the amount of tension on the heart muscle prior to contraction), afterload (resistance to ejection of blood from the ventricle), contractility (ability of the heart muscle to contract) and heart rate. Abnormal readings and values of these measurements indicates hemodynamic instability.