What is Venous Pressure?

Venous pressure is general known as the vascular pressure in a vein. It is also known as the pressure in the atria of the heart. Generally speaking, the intensity of the pressure in vein is much less than that in an artery. The common ranges of pressure in a vein are around 5 mm Hg in the right atrium of the heart and about 8 mm Hg in the left atrium of the heart. Veins normally carry deoxygenated blood from the tissues back to the lung with an exception of the pulmonary veins and umbilical veins which carry oxygenated blood. One can observe the venous pressure by examining the veins in the dorsum of the hands. Venous pressure is felt on the walls of the veins when there is flow of deoxygenated blood in the veins. Veins return deoxygenated blood to the heart through the action of skeletal muscle pump which is responsible for extremely low pressures in the venous system. Any failure in this mechanism could lead to fainting which is evident from activities like long periods of standing or conditions of shock. In such cases, the muscles surrounding the veins become slack and the veins get the most deposition of blood in the body which decreases the amount of blood availability to the brain and heart. This condition could lead to fainting and unconsciousness.