Intracavitary ECG Magellano
Intracavitary ECG Magellano is the intracavitary and surface ECG detection system, with Bluetooth for navigation of the proper placement of the central venous catheter. Through visualization, it allows to identify both the optimal P wave and the QRS complex.
The ECG signal is acquired by an Android system, smartphone or tablet, in real time and with an extremely high signal quality. Visualization can also be managed in terms of scrolling speed, signal amplitude and contrast, to guarantee maximum visibility in any operating condition. Intracavitary ECG Magellano consists of an ECG signal capture and transmission device, connected to a 4-lead patient cable. Magellano can be used in sterile fields protected by a sterile bag. The app, previously downloaded on a smartphone or tablet, records the ECG signal and displays it in real time on the display. The app can also store both the ECG signal and patient data, print the record or send it in PDF format to an external server or an e-mail address. All recordings remain in the smartphone or tablet memory, with a dedicated database for every single patient. The device is powered by 2 AA batteries, either disposable or rechargeable, that can be replaced at any time, even during registration.
No more misplacement of central venous catheters (CVC) with the new intracavitary ECG technique
The intracavitary ECG technique, invented more than 50 years ago in Germany and recently rediscovered, allows to avoid approximate bed-side calculations and, above all, a radiographic control.
This technique is also more reliable and cost-effective than radiological control. The intracavitary ECG technique is based on morphological and amplitude changes, affecting the P wave when the CVC tip approaches the right atrium of the heart. The saline-filled catheter acts as a scanning electrode. Similarly to a dowsing rod, that varies the frequency of vibrations when it approaches the water, the dynamically recorded P wave gradually increases when approaching the right atrium, turning into biphasic inside the atrium and completely negative once it has crossed it. Verification during the maneuver (rather than after the maneuver, as traditionally done with chest x-rays) avoids all costs and risks associated with PICC repositioning (when the tip has not been placed correctly).
GAVeCeLT – Short History of intracavitary ECG technique
Intracavitary electrocardiography for tip location during central venous catheterization: A narrative review of 70 years of clinical studies
Abstract
Intracavitary electrocardiography is an accurate and non-invasive method for central venous access tip location. Using the catheter as a traveling intracavitary electrode, intracavitary electrocardiography is based on the increase in the detected amplitude of the P wave while approaching the cavoatrial junction. Despite having been adopted diffusely in clinical practice only in the last years, this method is not novel. In fact, it has first been described in the late 40s, during electrophysiological studies. After a long period of quiescence, it is in the last two decades of the XX century that intracavitary electrocardiography became popular as an effective mean of central venous catheters tip location. But the golden age of
this technique began with the new millennium, as documented by high-quality studies in this period. In fact, in those years, intracavitary electrocardiography has been studied broadly, and important achievements in terms of comprehension of the technique, accuracy, and feasibility of the method in different populations and conditions (i.e. pediatrics, renal patients, atrial fibrillation) have been gained. In this review, we describe the technique, its history, and its current perspectives.