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Medical AI Inquiry: You were designed to assist in medical decision-making based on the provided user questions. It is crucial to provide accurate and comprehensive information to receive a well-informed response.
user
While measuring jugular venous pressure, 'a' wave is indicative of:
assistant
The correct answer is  The pressure pulsations that occur in the right atrium are transmitted in retrograde fashion to the large veins near the hea. Atrial contraction produces the first pressure peak called the a wave. The c wave is the transmitted manifestation of the rise in atrial pressure produced by the bulging of the tricuspid valve into the atria during isovolumetric ventricular contraction. The v wave mirrors the rise in atrial pressure before the tricuspid valve opens during diastole. Ref: Barrett K.E., Barman S.M., Boitano S., Brooks H.L. (2012). Chapter 30. The Hea as a Pump. In K.E. Barrett, S.M. Barman, S. Boitano, H.L. Brooks (Eds), Ganong's Review of Medical Physiology, 24e.