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The jugular veins: gateway to the heart

Andrew Elder and Balakrishnan (Kichu) R Nair
Med J Aust 2016; 205 (5): . || doi: 10.5694/mja16.00530
Published online: 5 September 2016

Inspection of the jugular veins provides a simple means of determining whether pressures in the right side of the heart are normal or elevated. With practice, clinicians can derive accurate and reliable information relevant to diagnosis and patient care.


  • 1 Edinburgh Medical School, Edinburgh, Scotland, UK
  • 2 University of Newcastle and Hunter Health, Newcastle, NSW


Correspondence: kichu.nair@newcastle.edu.au

Acknowledgements: 

We thank Seema Menon and Brian Dorairajah for the video and diagram.

Competing interests:

No relevant disclosures.

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