Right Atrial Pressure refers to the pressure inside which heart chamber?

• A. Right Ventricle
• B. Right Atrium
• C. Left Atrium
• D. Aorta

Answer: (B)

Right Atrial Pressure is the pressure inside the right atrium, the thin-walled chamber that receives deoxygenated blood from the body via the superior and inferior vena cavae. Under normal conditions this pressure is low, reflecting venous return and the filling (preload) of the right ventricle. Clinically, this pressure is often estimated as central venous pressure, since the right atrium directly reflects the filling pressure of the systemic venous return.

Understanding the other chambers helps why this is the correct reference: the right ventricle operates at higher pressures to push blood to the lungs, the left atrium and left ventricle are part of the higher-pressure left-sided circuits, and the aorta carries the high arterial pressure.