Right Heart Cath

Question 1

Right Atrial pressure

Answer 1

2-8 mmHg

Question 2

Right ventricle diastolic pressure

Answer 2

2-8 mmHg

Question 3

Pulmonary Artery Systolic Pressure

Answer 3

15-30 mmHg systolic

Question 4

Aorta pressures

Answer 4

100-140 mmHg systolic
60-90 mmHg diastolic

Question 5

Wedge pressure

Answer 5

2-10 mmHg diastolic

Question 6

Left Atrium Pressure

Answer 6

2-10 mmHg diastolic

Question 7

Left Ventricle Pressure

Answer 7

100-140 mmHg systolic
3-12 mmHg diastolic

Question 8

Elevated pressures in right or left ventricle mean?

Answer 8

Heart Failure

Question 9

High pressure in pulmonary artery means?

Answer 9

Pulmonary hypertension

Question 10

What does EDP measure?

Answer 10

the pressure in the heart’s left ventricle at the end of diastole, the filling phase of the cardiac cycle

Question 11

What is the normal range for EDP?

Answer 11

5-12 mmHg

Question 12

High LVEDP could mean?

Answer 12

Pulmonary hypertension

Right sided heart failure

Question 13

What could low EDP indicate?

Answer 13

Hypovolemia (low blood volume)
Right heart failure

Question 14

LVEDP should be the same or close to what pressure?

Answer 14

Wedge

Question 15

What is LVEDP looking for?

Answer 15

Cardiac output

Question 16

What is normal LVEDP?

Answer 16

12

Question 17

An LVEDP of 4 is considered what?

Answer 17

Dry

Question 18

An LVEDP of 16 would mean what?

Answer 18

The patient is damp

Question 20

High pulmonary artery pressure means?

Answer 20

Pulmonary hypertension, left ventricular failure, or mitral valve disease

Question 21

High right atrial pressure could mean?

Answer 21

Right ventricle failure, tricuspid valve disease (regurgitation), volume overload

Question 22

High wedge pressure (PCW) means?

Answer 22

Left ventricular failure, mitral valve disease, restrictive cardiomyopathy

Question 23

Right ventricular systolic pressure

Answer 23

15-30 mmHg

Question 24

Pulmonary artery diastolic pressure

Answer 24

4-12 mmHg

Question 25

What does elevated LVEDP mean?

Answer 25

An elevated LVEDP suggests that the left ventricle is not relaxing or filling properly

Question 26

Low LVEDP mean?

Answer 26

Hypovolemia or diastolic dysfunction

Question 27

What causes diastolic heart failure?

Answer 27

CAD, hypertension, diabetes, obesity, obstructive sleep apnea, hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, valvular disease

Question 28

What is diastolic dysfunction?

Answer 28

Where the hearts ventricles struggle to relax and fill with blood

Question 29

Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy vs restrictive cardiomyopathy

Answer 29

Hypertrophic is the thickening of the heart muscle where restrictive is the stiffening of the heart muscle

Question 30

Explain left heart failure

Answer 30

Where the left ventricle is affected leading to blood backing up into the lungs.

Question 31

What are symptoms of left sided heart failure?

Answer 31

SOB (especially when laying flat), coughing up pink frothy mucus

Question 32

Explain right sided heart failure

Answer 32

The right ventricle is affected leading to a back up back into the body’s veins

Question 33

What are symptoms of right sided heart failure?

Answer 33

Swelling in legs, ankles, feet, and abdomen

Question 34

Why are right heart caths done?

Answer 34

To assess pulmonary hypertension, heart failure, congenital heart disease, and lung problems

Question 35

What does pulmonary wedge pressure measure?

Answer 35

The pressures in the pulmonary capillaries reflecting the LA pressure

Question 36

Why don’t we directly measure the LA pressure?

Answer 36

It requires surgical placement

Question 37

When might a direct LA pressure be needed?

Answer 37

In a patient with where the PCW may not be reliable due to pulmonary hypertension, chronic lung disease

Question 38

High RA pressure could mean?

Answer 38

Right ventricular overload, pulmonary hypertension, or heart failure

Question 39

What does fick measure?

Answer 39

Cardiac output based on oxygen stats

Question 40

Where are you at when there is ventricular ectopy

Answer 40

RVOT

Question 41

How do you know if you are damp?

Answer 41

No dicrotic notch