What does the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure estimate?

What does the pulmonary capillary wedge pressure estimate?

• A. Left atrial pressure and left-sided filling pressures
• B. Right atrial pressure
• C. Aortic systolic pressure
• D. Pulmonary venous pressure

Answer: (A)

Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure reflects the pressure on the left side of the heart, specifically the left atrial pressure and, by extension, left-sided filling (preload) pressures. A Swan-Ganz catheter is advanced into a small branch of the pulmonary artery and the balloon is inflated to wedge. With the balloon occluded, the pressure distal to the occlusion equilibrates with the pressure in the left atrium, so the wedge measurement serves as an indirect estimate of LA pressure. This makes it a proxy for left-sided filling pressures and, in many cases, for left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. It does not measure right atrial pressure, aortic systolic pressure, or directly measure pulmonary venous pressure.

Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure reflects the pressure on the left side of the heart, specifically the left atrial pressure and, by extension, left-sided filling (preload) pressures. A Swan-Ganz catheter is advanced into a small branch of the pulmonary artery and the balloon is inflated to wedge. With the balloon occluded, the pressure distal to the occlusion equilibrates with the pressure in the left atrium, so the wedge measurement serves as an indirect estimate of LA pressure. This makes it a proxy for left-sided filling pressures and, in many cases, for left ventricular end-diastolic pressure. It does not measure right atrial pressure, aortic systolic pressure, or directly measure pulmonary venous pressure.