post-it-note-medicine: I can never remember what the different bits are on a JVP wave so here is a

post-it-note-medicine:

I can never remember what the different bits are on a JVP wave so here is a way to try and remember it. It’s a bit contrived, what with Cystole and trYcuspid but silly things are easier to remember. 

C is the tricuspid valve closing and kind of bulging as it does. Imagine it over shooting ever so slightly then recoiling back into place. 

V is the atria refilling, hence why the ventricles need to prepare for the next onslaught. 

The letter refers to the bit of waveform that happened just before it. So when the atria contract they cause a bit of backflow, so the pressure in the jugular vein increases (there’s no valve into the atria, only out) causing the upswing. Then the atria relax so blood can flow into said atria, so the jugular vein empties and the pressure goes down. 

Just remember that it’s the JUGULAR VENOUS pressure. Not the right atrial pressure. They’re similar, but not the same.