Kussmaul's sign – Causes, Mechanism
- Kussmaul’s sign refers to the inspiratory increase in jugular venous pressure (or central venous pressure)
- Some sources consider Kussmaul’s sign as the absence of inspiratory fall in jugular venous pressure
Causes:
- Constrictive pericarditis
- Restrictive cardiomyopathy
Mechanism:
- Normally there is inspiratory decrease in JVP (Read Mechanism of inspiratory decrease in JVP)
- In the conditions mentioned above, the pericardium / myocardium is stiff
- The negative intrathoracic pressure is not transmitted to the heart
- The heart cannot accommodate the increased blood flow that occurs during inspiration
- Hence the jugular venous pressure will be elevated
