Pulmonary Vascular Resistance

**Semantic type:** Finding

**Definition:** The resistance to blood flow offered by the pulmonary vasculature, which is normally one sixth of SVR. The major determinant of PVR is pulmonary vessel constriction, most often caused by hypoxia and/or hypercarbia. Prolonged elevated PVR can cause right heart failure.

**Synonyms:** - PVR - Pulmonary vascular resistance