Correlation between central venous and peripheral venous pressures in surgical patients

IntroductionThe central venous pressure (CVP) measurement is important in assessing right ventricular function and systemic fluid status, and the venous pressures measured from peripheral venous catheters closely correlate with CVP and/or CVP trends. The correlation between CVP and peripheral venous pressure (PVP) in patients undergoing major surgical procedures under mechanical ventilation during normotension, hypotension, in the presence of inotropes, and postoperatively during spontaneous respiration was studied in this study.Materials and methodsIn this prospective, observational study, 40 adult patients undergoing surgical procedures lasting for more than 5 h, where a major blood loss was expected, were studied. The CVP and PVP were recorded simultaneously at a 15 min interval until 4 h intraoperatively, followed by hourly during the postoperative period for 4 h. Statistical analysis used Student's t-test to analyze statistical significance of difference in mean, Pearson's product moment correlation coefficient to assess correlation, and paired t-test to assess changes in mean arterial pressure.ResultsThroughout the study period, PVP persistently showed a positive trend with a significantly higher value than CVP (P < 0.001), but a statistically significant correlation could not be demonstrated persistently.ConclusionHence, it is concluded that measurement of PVP can be considered as an alternative to CVP monitoring, when conditions are impractical for central venous catheterization.