The jugular veins: gateway to the heart

Elder, Andrew; Nair, Balakrishnan (Kichu) R

doi:10.5694/mja16.00530

Topics

Inspection of the jugular veins provides a simple means of determining whether pressures in the right side of the heart are normal or elevated. With practice, clinicians can derive accurate and reliable information relevant to diagnosis and patient care.

1 Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
2 University of Newcastle and Hunter Health, Newcastle, NSW

Correspondence: kichu.nair@newcastle.edu.au

Acknowledgements:

We thank Seema Menon and Brian Dorairajah for the video and diagram.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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