Apparatus for measuring cardiac output

Abstract

An apparatus for measuring cardiac output designed to prevent measurement errors by eliminating the need for a manufacture step of examining a temperature sensing element during manufacture of the same and, hence, the need for a probe circuit or the like which is a means for effecting correction according to the characteristics of the temperature sensing element. For measurement of temperatures relating to an organism using a probe having at least two temperature sensing elements, the apparatus includes a reference temperature sensing element; a temperature measurement circuit for obtaining a reference temperature signal from a temperature detected by the reference temperature sensing element; a first temporary storage memory for storing the detected reference temperature; a thermometry temperature sensing element; a second memory for obtaining a thermometry temperature signal with the temperature measurement circuit from a thermometry temperature detected by the thermometry temperature sensing element and for storing the obtained thermometry temperature signal; a correction value calculation circuit for maintaining a correction value obtained on the basis of the reference temperature signal stored in the first memory and the thermometry temperature signal stored in the second memory; and a temperature calculation circuit for calculating a corrected temperature value based on a thermometry temperature signal newly produced during measurement and the maintained correction value.