A patient with partial-thickness burns covering 52% of the body would most likely have which central venous pressure reading indicating fluid volume deficit?

A patient with partial-thickness burns covering 52% of the body would most likely have which central venous pressure reading indicating fluid volume deficit?

• A. 1 mm Hg
• B. 2 mm Hg
• C. 6 mm Hg
• D. 10 mm Hg

Answer: (A)

Central venous pressure measures how full the right atrium is, which reflects the amount of blood returning to the heart (preload). In large burn injuries, a lot of fluid leaks from the intravascular space into the interstitial tissues due to increased capillary permeability. That fluid shift reduces circulating volume, lowering preload and thus dropping the CVP. A reading of 1 mm Hg is very low and matches a fluid volume deficit from hypovolemia, as would be expected in a patient with 52% total body surface area burned. The higher values would imply normal or high preload rather than a deficit, which doesn’t fit the scenario of hypovolemia after substantial burn injury.

Central venous pressure measures how full the right atrium is, which reflects the amount of blood returning to the heart (preload). In large burn injuries, a lot of fluid leaks from the intravascular space into the interstitial tissues due to increased capillary permeability. That fluid shift reduces circulating volume, lowering preload and thus dropping the CVP.

A reading of 1 mm Hg is very low and matches a fluid volume deficit from hypovolemia, as would be expected in a patient with 52% total body surface area burned. The higher values would imply normal or high preload rather than a deficit, which doesn’t fit the scenario of hypovolemia after substantial burn injury.