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RA is short for the right atrium which is the first chamber of the heart that blood enters. This blood comes from the veins in the body and it is deoxygenated, meaning that it doesn’t carry oxygen. The normal pressure for a healthy person in this part of the heart is 6 mmHg. It is unusual for this part of the heart to have both systolic and diastolic pressure. This number is somewhat confusing as it is also the pressure of the blood in the veins. In your case, this is number is a little higher than normal, and if you are seeing increased swelling in your legs this is probably why.
RV is the right ventricle. This is the part of the heart that pushes blood through the lungs. Other than the pulmonary artery pressure, the RV is one of the most important pressures in PAH. As it becomes more difficult for the heart to push through the lungs, this pressure will increase. A healthy person will have systolic RV pressures of 15-30 mmHg, and diastolic pressures of 2-8 mmHg. Again, as is normal in PAH, your RV pressures are elevated. Most of the symptoms from PAH come from this part of the heart not working as well as it should.
PA is the pulmonary artery pressure. This is the defining measurement of PAH and it is the pressure of the main artery supplying blood to the lungs. This artery is a little tricky as it acts differently than all the other arteries in the body. When pressure increases in this vessel it gets thicker and more narrow which makes it more difficult for oxygen to move into and for CO2 to move out of the blood. The normal range for systolic pressure in the PA is 15-30 mmHg (same as RV) and the diastolic pressure ranges from 8-15 mmHg, with a mean of less than 20 mmHg. To be considered PAH the mean PA pressure typically is 25 mmHg. As is to be expected your PA pressures are elevated as well.
PCW or PCWP is pulmonary capillary wedge pressure. This is the pressure in the left atrium (or third heart chamber). Getting this pressure is somewhat complicated to understand. When they are obtaining a PA pressure they inflate a balloon at the end of the sensor that isolates the left side of the heart from the right side. This allows us to get a reading of the pressures in the left atrium (LA). This chamber of the heart works the same way as the RA does, and its pressures are equal to the pressures in the pulmonary veins which bring oxygenated blood back to the heart from the lungs. The normal pressure for the PCWP is 8-12 mmHm and is usually reported as only one number. It appears that your PCWP is increased which suggests that the left side of your heart is causing a backup of blood into your pulmonary artery.
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