Pulmonary Vascular Resistance Calculator

About this calculator

Pulmonary vascular resistance (PVR) measures how much the pulmonary arteries resist blood flow from the right side of the heart into the lungs. It is derived from right heart catheterization data using the formula PVR = (mean pulmonary artery pressure − pulmonary capillary wedge pressure) ÷ cardiac output, expressed in Wood units (mmHg·min/L) or converted to dyn·s·cm⁻⁵ by multiplying by 80.

Cardiologists and pulmonologists use PVR to distinguish pulmonary arterial hypertension (a problem in the lung vessels themselves) from pulmonary venous hypertension caused by left heart disease, and to decide whether a patient with congenital heart disease or advanced heart failure is a candidate for surgery, transplant, or vasodilator therapy. A normal PVR is roughly under 2 Wood units, while values above 3 typically indicate clinically significant pulmonary vascular disease.

This calculator takes the three catheterization values and returns PVR in both unit systems, giving cardiology fellows, cath lab staff, and critical care clinicians a quick way to check hemodynamic calculations against bedside monitor readouts.