Clinical significance of pulmonary artery occlusion pressure.
BACKGROUND
Ppao values are routinely used to assess pulmonary vascular status and LV performance. Regrettably, under many common clinically relevant conditions, even when Ppao values are measured accurately, Ppao values at baseline and in response to therapy often reflect an inaccurate measure of cardiovascular status.


CONCLUSIONS
Thus, caution should be used when applying measures of Ppao in determining therapy if changes in RV volume, hyperinflation, or LV diastolic compliance are simultaneously occurring.
Pinsky
Michael R
MR
Division of Coibical Care Medicine, 604 Scaife Hall, 3550 Terrace Street, Pittsburgh, PA 15261, USA. pinskymr@anes.upmc.edu
D000208:Acute Disease; D015982:Bias; D002306:Cardiac Volume; D006439:Hemodynamics; D006801:Humans; D008991:Monitoring, Physiologic / Q000379:methods* / Q000592:standards; D011654:Pulmonary Edema / Q000175:diagnosis* / Q000503:physiopathology; D011669:Pulmonary Wedge Pressure; D015203:Reproducibility of Results; D016277:Ventricular Function, Left