Figure 32-43 Pericardial constriction. This condition causes elevation and equalization of diastolic filling pressures in the pulmonary artery pressure (PAP), pulmonary artery wedge pressure (PAWP), and central venous pressure (CVP) traces. The CVP waveform reveals tall a and v waves with steep x and y descents and a mid-diastolic plateau wave (asterisk) or h wave. ART, arterial blood pressure. (Redrawn from Mark JB: Atlas of Cardiovascular Monitoring. New York, Churchill Livingstone, 1998, Fig. 18-1.)