The Continuous Recording of Central Venous Pressure Changes from an Arm Vein

With the subject in the right lateral decubitus position, changes of central venous pressure can be recorded accurately and conveniently from a vein in the antecubital fossa of the dependent arm. Theoretically the hydrostatic, pressure transforms the venous bed between the heart and the site of puncture into uninterrupted wide channels with relatively low distensibility. Simultaneous recordings of pressure by the method described and by catheterization of the central veins showed that induced changes of central venous pressure were identically recorded from both sites. The mean pressure gradient between the peripheral and central veins was 35 mm. of water.