Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure

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The Pulmonary capillary wedge pressure (abbreviated PCWP), as measured by a Swan-Ganz catheter, is the pressure measured in a pulmonary artery after occlusion of that artery. Because of the large compliance of the pulmonary circulation, it provides an indirect measure of the left atrial pressure. For example it's considered the gold standard for determining the cause of acute pulmonary edema. Physiological pressure; 1-10 mm Hg.

Go to http://www.cvphysiology.com/Heart%20Failure/HF008.htm for a good explanation.

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