CVP monitoring provides information about which of the following parameters?

• A. Left ventricular preload
• B. Right ventricular preload and fluid status
• C. Pulmonary artery resistance
• D. Cardiac output only

Answer: (B)

Central venous pressure reflects the pressure in the right atrium and thus the right ventricular preload. It essentially gauges how much pressure is present to fill the right heart and how much venous return the body is delivering, making it a useful indicator of fluid status. A higher CVP often signals fluid overload or impaired venous return, while a lower CVP points to hypovolemia. This is why CVP monitoring is used to assess right-sided filling pressures and guide fluid management. It doesn’t measure left-sided preload, which is assessed with wedge pressures or LVEDP; it doesn’t determine pulmonary vascular resistance, which relies on pulmonary artery pressures and calculations; and it doesn’t provide cardiac output directly, since CO requires additional measurements of flow.