What does CVP mean in PHYSIOLOGY

Central Venous Pressure (CVP) is a measurement of the amount of pressure in the vena cava and superior vena cava, which are two large veins found in the body. It is usually measured before or during a medical procedure to help provide an estimate of the volume of blood circulating throughout the body.

Monitoring CVP helps physicians understand how much fluid there is in circulation and if there are potential problems caused by underlying conditions such as heart failure, cirrhosis, or dehydration. It can also be used to monitor therapies such as fluids and medications used to treat these conditions.

Generally speaking, monitoring CVP does not have serious side effects associated with it when done correctly. Minor discomfort may occur when taking readings and slight bruising at the insertion site may be possible, but these should go away soon after taking readings. However, complications can occur if patients are not monitored properly or if they have certain underlying medical conditions that can affect their central venous pressure readings.

Normally, CVP is monitored through a catheter inserted into a vein near your collarbone that measures the pressure within this vessel. This technique is known as right-side heart catheterization and involves threading thin plastic tubing (catheter) through your veins to measure pressures in chambers of your heart or your pulmonary artery.

High CVP can indicate increased pressure in your veins due to fluctuating factors such as cardiac output, tidal volume or respiratory rate changes being too rapid for blood vessels to adjust quickly enough for adequate circulatory flow resulting in what’s known as “afterload” on your heart muscles or tissue damage due to other causes such as infection, inflammation or obstruction of a vein.

Low CVP may be indicative of systemic hypotension due to decreased cardiac output from myocardial infarction, hypovolemia due to dehydration or sepsis,diastolic dysfunction or even obstruction of a major vessel like an aortic aneurysm.

Generally speaking it's best practice for clinicians to routinely monitor their patient's CVP during critical care procedures such as surgery or chemotherapy treatments where fluid management plays an important role in outcome. Some medical procedures may require continuous monitoring for extended periods while others may just require intermittent readings depending on specific clinical scenarios.

Due to its complexity and risk for complications with inaccurate readings, it's recommended that only experienced healthcare professionals take measurements and manage patient's CVP levels accordingly based on current standards outlined by various organizations such as The Joint Commission (JCAHO).