Central venous pressure describes the pressure in the thorax near the right atrium of the heart (i.e., actually within the major vein). CVP gives important information about the condition patient’s blood cycle and is e.g. measured in intensive care patients or during surgery. It can be measured by connecting the patients central venous catheter to a special infusion set which is connected to a small diameter water column. If the water column is calibrated properly the height of the column indicates the CVP.