Monday, January 07, 2008

Jugular Venous Pulse

Jugular venous pulse also known as jugular venous pressure - JVP can only be assessed when the patient is lying down and is used to estimate the right atrial pressure. The elevated JVP is the sign of venous hypertension which relates to right-side heart failure.
There are number of conditions which can cause elevated jugular venous pressure including: bradycardia, constrictive pericarditis, fluid overload, hyperdynamic circulation, obstruction of the superior vena cava and tricuspid valve disease.