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Cardiac Pressures

Normal values

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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

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Left ventricular (LV) Pressure

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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

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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)

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x descent

Atrium relaxing then filling

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Y descent

Atrium emptying – valve open

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Pulmonary artery (PA) Pressures

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Right ventricular (RV) Pressures

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