Question:

The 'c' wave of the jugular venous pulse is seen in:

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The c wave is the tricuspid valve bulging during isovolumic contraction.
Updated On: Jun 24, 2026
  • Isovolumetric contraction
  • Slow filling at the end of diastole
  • End of systole
  • Start of diastole
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The Correct Option is A

Solution and Explanation

Step 1: The jugular venous pulse reflects right atrial pressure changes. It has three positive waves (a, c and v) and two negative descents (x and y), each tied to an event in the cardiac cycle.
Step 2: The 'c' wave is produced by the bulging of the closed tricuspid valve back into the right atrium during isovolumetric (isovolumic) ventricular contraction, when ventricular pressure rises sharply but the semilunar valves have not yet opened. Therefore the c wave corresponds to isovolumetric contraction, which is the answer.
Step 3: Why the others are wrong. The 'a' wave is atrial contraction (late diastole). The 'v' wave occurs at the end of systole due to atrial filling against a closed tricuspid valve. The slow-filling phase and the start of diastole relate to the y descent, not the c wave.
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