Page 74 - Clinical Pearls in Cardiology

62 Clinical Pearls in Cardiology

Fig. 2: Waves of JVP

• ‘c’ wave is due to the bulging of the tricuspid valve
cusps into the right atrium during ventricular systole.
(Clinically this wave is not obvious).
• ‘v’ wave is due to the vigorous filling of the right
atrium, and it is increased in conditions where there
is increased inflow to the atrium, like tricuspid
regurgitation.
• ‘x’ descent is a negative wave due to right atrial
relaxation.
• ‘y’ descent is another negative wave. It is due to the
emptying of the right atrial blood into the right
ventricle and it is sometimes prominent in conditions
like tricuspid regurgitation and constrictive
pericarditis. The prominent ‘y’ descent in constrictive
pericarditis is sometimes referred to as the
“Friedreich’s sign”.