IMED3001 Study Guide - Final Guide: Sodium Nitroprusside, Cardiac Output, Baroreflex
28 Dec 2020
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Imed3001: afterload (lab for ecg tracing and cardiac function) Another significant factor is the compliance of the aorta; pressure will rise more rapidly when the ventricle is ejecting into a stiffer aorta. Thus, interaction of the ventricle with properties of the arterial circulation determines how the left ventricular pressure changes during ejection. Although instantaneous left ventricular pressure during ejection is perhaps the best measure of left ventricular afterload, the extent of ventricular ejection is determined by ventricular end- systolic pressure (esp). Thus, as a determinant of stroke volume, end-systolic pressure is a reasonably good measure of ventricular afterload. The effects of changes in afterload on ventricular mechanical function can be understood in the context of the pressure-volume loop when other determinants of ventricular function (preload, heart rate, and contractility) are held constant. It is easily seen that when afterload is low, the ventricle can eject to a much lower end systolic volume, given the same preload and contractility.
