Cardiac Pressures
Normal values

Aortic (Ao) Pressure
Systolic Uptake
-
Ventricular ejection
-
Flow rate through AoV
-
Slurred: Ao stenosis
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Dicrotic Notch
-
AoV closes
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Mean Arterial Pressure
-
Organ Perfusion
-
>70-100 normal
-
60 minimum
-
<60 insufficient perfusion
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Pulse Pressure
-
Wide pulse pressure
-Ao regurge
-
Narrow pulse pressure
-Tamponade
-PE
-pneumothorax
-cardiogenic shock
End diastolic pressure
-
High diastolic pressure
-
Hard, non-compliant vessels
-
Low diastolic pressure
-
Ao regurge
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Arterial Pressure
​The further from Ao
-
The higher the systolic pressure
-
The further the dicrotic notch (time)
-
The lower the EDP
-
The later the arrival of the pulse

Left ventricular (LV) Pressure

End-diastolic (EDP)
Preload- V performance
High EDP- congestive HF
-
Acute causes
-Myocardial ischemia
-
Chronic causes
-HTN, AS, DCM, MR or AR, large MIs, chemo agents, chronic anaemia
​
dP/dt max
-
Cardiac contractility
-
N= >1000-1200 mmHg/sec
Atrial Pressures
A wave
Atrium contracting (valve open) –AKA atrial kick
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C wave
Valve closing (RA- tricuspid, LA – mitral)
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V wave
Atrium tense and full (valve closed)
​
x descent
Atrium relaxing then filling
​
Y descent
Atrium emptying – valve open

Pulmonary artery (PA) Pressures

Right ventricular (RV) Pressures
