Bridging the Gap Between Clinical Practice and the AACN Practice Alert on Pulmonary Artery/Central Venous Pressure Monitoring in Adults

Measuring and documenting accurate data from pulmonary artery and central venous pressure catheters is an important responsibility of critical care nurses. The American Association of Critical-Care Nurses Practice Alert titled Pulmonary Artery/Central Venous Pressure Monitoring in Adults provides evidence-based standards against which nurses can compare their practice related to obtaining valid hemodynamic data. Identifying and acting on improvement opportunities is also a nursing responsibility and helps to ensure that patients with pulmonary artery or central venous pressure catheters receive high-quality care. This article reviews various strategies to compare nursing practice to the Pulmonary Artery/Central Venous Pressure Monitoring in Adults Practice Alert and to close identified gaps in clinical practice.

Central venous pressure monitoring

The circulatory dynamics of patients are maintained by a triad of vascular capacitance, effective circulating volume and cardiac pump function. These components interact to provide blood pressure, cardiac output and tissue perfusion. Central venous pressure (CVP) is one of the parameters which is known to be useful in evaluating the interaction of these modalities. It will also help to determine volume status of the patient and need to fill in, as well as the efficacy of the volume therapy. Sometimes central line will be inserted to infuse vasoactive infusions or blood nd blood products. Its an invasive procedure and has its complications. The intensivists need to be fully conversant with the standard guidelines for this procedure for patient safety. Received: 15 Sep 2018Reviewed: 18 Sep 2018Corrected: 28 Sep, 18 Oct 2018Accepted: 5 Nov 2018 Citation: Gupta J. Central venous pressure monitoring. Anaesth Pain & Intensive Care 2018;22 Suppl 1:S137-S141