Critical Care & Hemodynamics

RV Cardiac Power Output Calculator

Calculate RV hydraulic power using cardiac output and the mPAP − RAP gradient.Need the full picture? Open the combined Swan-Ganz calculator →

Enter measurements

Cardiac output (CO)

L/min

Mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP)

mmHg

Right atrial pressure (RAP)

mmHg

Calculated in your browser. Inputs are not saved, added to the URL, or sent by this calculator.

Calculated result

—W

CO × (mPAP − RAP) / 451

Enter the required measurements to calculate a result.

Educational use only. This tool and its outputs do not constitute medical advice, diagnosis, or treatment and do not replace clinical judgment. Independently verify the inputs, equations, assumptions, units, and outputs, and confirm that the tool is appropriate for your intended use before relying on a result.

What is RV cardiac power output?

This definition of RV cardiac power accounts for the pressure gradient from right atrium to pulmonary artery, combined with cardiac output. It is distinct from the mPAP × CO / 451 convention used in some RV-power literature and retained separately in the combined Swan tool.

How is it calculated?

CO × (mPAP − RAP) / 451

CO is in L/min; mean pulmonary artery pressure (mPAP) and mean RAP are in mmHg. The factor 451 converts to watts. mPAP must exceed RAP for the supported forward-flow calculation.

Result units: W.

Clinical interpretation

Reduced gradient-based RV power may reflect low flow or a limited pressure gradient. Increased power may reflect elevated pulmonary vascular load, so neither a high nor a low value independently establishes RV contractility. No universal prognostic cutoff is applied to this definition.

Clinical considerations

Verify whether a publication subtracts RAP before applying its findings. The mPAP-based and pressure-gradient definitions produce different numbers, especially at high RAP.

Review the result with PAPi, RVSWI, echo, and the full hemodynamic state. A measured mPAP is preferred to an estimate from systolic and diastolic pressures.

References

Independently created by MendelMD. These educational calculators are not provided, endorsed, or independently validated by the American Heart Association.