Journal of Clinical Medicine Review Electrical Impedance Tomography for Cardio-Pulmonary Monitoring Christian Putensen 1,*, Benjamin Hentze 1,2 , Stefan Muenster 1 and Thomas Muders 1 1 Department of Anesthesiology and Intensive Care Medicine, University Hospital Bonn, 53127 Bonn, Germany 2 Chair for Medical Information Technology, RWTH Aachen University, 52074 Aachen, Germany * Correspondence:
[email protected]; Tel.: +49-228-287-14118 Received: 28 June 2019; Accepted: 6 August 2019; Published: 7 August 2019 Abstract: Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a bedside monitoring tool that noninvasively visualizes local ventilation and arguably lung perfusion distribution. This article reviews and discusses both methodological and clinical aspects of thoracic EIT. Initially, investigators addressed the validation of EIT to measure regional ventilation. Current studies focus mainly on its clinical applications to quantify lung collapse, tidal recruitment, and lung overdistension to titrate positive end-expiratory pressure (PEEP) and tidal volume. In addition, EIT may help to detect pneumothorax. Recent studies evaluated EIT as a tool to measure regional lung perfusion. Indicator-free EIT measurements might be sufficient to continuously measure cardiac stroke volume. The use of a contrast agent such as saline might be required to assess regional lung perfusion. As a result, EIT-based monitoring of regional ventilation and lung perfusion may visualize local ventilation and perfusion matching, which can be helpful in the treatment of patients with acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Keywords: electrical impedance tomography; bioimpedance; image reconstruction; thorax; regional ventilation; regional perfusion; monitoring 1. Introduction Electrical impedance tomography (EIT) is a radiation-free functional imaging modality that allows non-invasive bedside monitoring of both regional lung ventilation and arguably perfusion.