Pulmonary capillary pressure. Clinical implications

Pulmonary capillary pressure (Pcap) is the true edema-forming pressure within the pulmonary vascular bed. Pulmonary artery occlusion pressure has long been used to approximate Pcap. These two pressures may not always be well correlated, which has significant implications for fluid resuscitation and the evolution of pulmonary edema. This article reviews the technique for bedside measurement of Pcap.