AMP 11: Central Venous Pressure Monitoring Flashcards
What is central venous pressure primarily determined by?
- venous return
- right heart function
What determines venous return?
- venous tone
- venous wall compliance
- circulating blood volume
What determines right-sided cardiac output?
- heart rate
- preload
- afterload
- contractility
How does a rise in intrathoracic pressure affect the CVP?
Will compress the vena cava and right atrium and raise CVP
List complications associated of central venous catheters use
- thrombosis
- thromboembolism
- carotid arterial puncture
- infection
- phlebitis
- bleeding
- vascular erosion
- cardiac arrhythmias
- cardiac wall perforation
List complications associated with CVP measurements - excluding CVC use itself
- introduction of air - air embolus
- introduction of bacteria
What is the reference range for CVP?
0-5 cm H2O most commonly cited. Up to 10 cm H2O can be normal
What are the 2 units used for CVP measurements and what is the conversion factor for them?
mm Hg and cm H2O
CVP in cm H2O = CVP in mm Hg x 1.36
How different are pressure measurements between the vena cava and the right atrium?
Pressure measurements between the vena cava and the right atrium are generally considered interchangable
untrue if:
- obstruction between vena cava and right atrium
- vasopressors administered
- fluid bolus administered
How well can peripherally measured venous pressure be used to estimate CVP in dogs and cats?
peripheral venous and CVP has shown poor correlation in dogs and cats
can be used in humans as an estimate for CVP
How do high fluid rates through a proximal port of a double lumen central catheter affect CVP measurements at the distal port?
human studies showed that even pressurized high fluid rates (>9,000 mL/hour) do not affect CVP measurements
this can likely be extrapolated to veterinary medicine
what is the normal peak pressure in the right ventricle
peak right ventricular pressures reach 20-30 mm Hg in the normal animal
What are indications that the central catheter may have been advanced into the right ventricle.
- arrhythmias (can also happen in RA though)
- high pressure readings (up to 20-30 mm Hg)
- water manometer: extreme fluid column fluctuations
- continuous electronic monitor: change in waveform
Briefly explain what intermittent CVP measurement entails. What are pros and cons?
- the central catheter is connected to a water manometer.
- the manometer 0 line is positioned at the same height as the right atrium
- a predetermined volume of saline is infused
- fluid is allowed to equillibrate with patient’s CVP
- can read CVP by reading the height of the fluid column
- recorded in cm H2O
pros: cheap, easy to perform
cons: time-consuming if repeated measurements are needed
Briefly explain what continuous CVP measurement entails. What are pros and cons?
- the central catheter is connected to a pressure transducer
- the venous pressure wave is converted into electrical signals
- venous pressure wave form can be displayed on monitor in real time ⇒ in mm Hg
pros: better monitoring through real-time cont. measurements, no need for repeated interventions once set up
cons: expensive, difficult to set up/requires more skills
What is the atmospheric pressure at sea level?
760 mm Hg
Explain zeroing
atmospheric pressure is assumed to excert same pressure on every object (measuring device, RA, veins, etc.) and can therefore be zeroed out for simplification = atmospheric pressure considered as 0 mm Hg
The process of correcting for atmospheric pressure is called zeroing
pressure transducer systems have ports/stopcocks that can be opened to the atmospheric pressure while leveling this port/ or manometer to the zero reference point
zero reference point = the vascular structure in question, i.e., here RA
What is the level for zeroing in animals in either sternal or lateral recumbency?
want to level manometer or stopcock with the RA
- in lateral recumbency: level of the sternum
- in sternal recumbency: line drawn caudal from shoulder from dorsal spinous process to sternum, at 40% of the height of this line