Question:medium

The 'c' wave of the jugular venous pulse is seen in:

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The c wave is the tricuspid valve bulging during isovolumic contraction.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Isovolumetric contraction
  • Slow filling at the end of diastole
  • End of systole
  • Start of diastole
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: List the JVP deflections with their causes: a equals atrial systole, c equals tricuspid bulge, v equals atrial filling, x descent equals atrial relaxation, y descent equals tricuspid opening and ventricular filling. The target is the c wave.
Step 2: Immediately after the tricuspid valve shuts, the right ventricle contracts isovolumetrically. Its rising pressure pushes the closed tricuspid leaflets upward into the right atrium, momentarily raising atrial pressure and generating the c wave. So the c wave maps to the phase of isovolumetric ventricular contraction.
Step 3: Eliminate the others. The end-diastolic slow-filling phase and the onset of diastole correspond to ventricular filling and the y descent, not the c wave. The end of systole is the time of the v wave. Hence isovolumetric contraction is the correct phase.
\[\boxed{\text{Isovolumetric contraction}}\]
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