Question

Which one of the following is NOT the cause of wide pulse pressure?

• A. Severe aortic regurgitation
• B. Severe mitral regurgitation
• C. Severe tricuspid regurgitation
• D. Severe anemia

Hint:

Wide pulse pressure needs either aortic diastolic runoff or a high output state; think about which valve lesion never causes either.

Answer 1

The Correct Option is C

Step 1: Understanding the Concept:
Pulse pressure is systolic pressure minus diastolic pressure. It goes up when either the stroke volume or systolic pressure rises, or when diastolic pressure drops because blood escapes from the arterial system faster than usual.

Step 2: Key Formula or Approach:
Check each condition for one of two patterns: a leaky aortic valve causing diastolic run off, or a high output state that raises stroke volume and systolic pressure.

Step 3: Detailed Explanation:
Severe aortic regurgitation lets blood flow back into the left ventricle during diastole, dropping diastolic pressure sharply while the next beat carries a big stroke volume, giving the classic wide, bounding pulse.
Severe anemia forces high cardiac output to meet oxygen needs, raising stroke volume and systolic pressure while diastolic pressure stays low, again widening pulse pressure.
Severe mitral regurgitation sends part of the stroke volume backward into the left atrium rather than forward into the aorta, so it does not push pulse pressure wide the way aortic regurgitation does.
Severe tricuspid regurgitation is purely a right heart problem, it raises right atrial and venous pressures, not the systemic arterial pulse pressure, so it has no real role in widening pulse pressure.

Step 4: Final Answer:
The lesion that is not a cause of wide pulse pressure is severe tricuspid regurgitation. \[ \boxed{\text{Severe tricuspid regurgitation}} \]