systolic pressure

(noun)

The peak arterial pressure during heart contraction.

Related Terms

Examples of systolic pressure in the following topics:

  • Measuring Blood Pressure

    • Measurement of blood pressure includes systolic pressure during cardiac contraction and diastolic pressure during cardiac relaxation.
    • A normal blood pressure is about 120 mmHg systolic over 80 mmHg diastolic.
    • These pressures, called segmental blood pressures, are used to evaluate blockage or arterial occlusion in a limb (for example, the ankle brachial pressure index).The difference between the systolic and diastolic pressure is called the pulse pressure.
    • Low blood pressure, or hypotension, is indicated when the systolic number is persistently below 90 mmHg.
    • A blood pressure cuff and associated monitor used for determining systolic and diastolic pressures within an artery.

  • Introduction to Blood Pressure

    • Two mechanisms take place in the heart: diastole and systole.
    • Diastole is the relaxation of the chambers of the heart and systole is the contraction of the heart chambers.
    • Systolic pressure is thus the pressure that your heart emits when blood is forced out of the heart and diastolic pressure is the pressure exerted when the heart is relaxed.
    • During each heartbeat, blood pressure varies between a maximum (systolic) and a minimum (diastolic) pressure.
    • A normal blood pressure should be around 120/80, with the systolic pressure expressed first.

  • Operation of Semilunar Valves

    • During ventricular systole, pressure rises in the left ventricle.
    • When the pressure in the left ventricle exceeds the pressure in the aorta, the aortic valve opens, and blood flows from the left ventricle into the aorta.
    • When ventricular systole ends, pressure in the left ventricle drops rapidly, and the aortic pressure forces the aortic valve to close.
    • Similar to the aortic valve, the pulmonary valve opens in ventricular systole, when the pressure in the right ventricle exceeds the pressure in the pulmonary artery.
    • When ventricular systole ends, pressure in the right ventricle drops rapidly, and the pressure in the pulmonary artery forces the pulmonary valve to close.

  • Arterial Blood Pressure

    • A person's blood pressure is usually expressed in terms of the systolic pressure over diastolic pressure and is measured in millimeters of mercury (mmHg), for example 140/90.
    • In the past, hypertension was only diagnosed if secondary signs of high arterial pressure were present along with a prolonged high systolic pressure reading over several visits.
    • In the past, most attention was paid to diastolic pressure, but now we know that both high systolic pressure and high pulse pressure (the numerical difference between systolic and diastolic pressures) are also risk factors for disease.
    • In some cases, a decrease in excessive diastolic pressure can actually increase risk, probably due to the increased difference between systolic and diastolic pressures.
    • If systolic blood pressure is elevated (>140) with a normal diastolic blood pressure (<90), it is called "isolated systolic hypertension" and may present a health concern.

  • Cardiac Cycle

    • Pressure waves generated by the heart in systole, or ventricular contraction, move the highly elastic arterial walls.
    • Throughout the cardiac cycle, the arterial blood pressure increases during the phases of active ventricular contraction and decreases during ventricular filling and atrial systole.
    • Thus, there are two types of measurable blood pressure: systolic during contraction and diastolic during relaxation.
    • Systolic blood pressure is always higher than diastolic blood pressure, generally presented as a ratio in which systolic blood pressure is over diastolic blood pressure.
    • For example, 115/75 mmHg would indicated a systolic blood pressure of 115 mmHg and a diastolic blood pressure or 75 mmHG.

  • Artery Function

    • Arteries are high-pressure blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood away from the heart to all other tissues and organs.
    • Arteries are blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart under pressure.
    • In arteries, the tunica media, which contains smooth muscle cells and elastic tissue, is thicker than that of veins so it can modulate vessel caliber and thus control and maintain blood pressure.
    • Arterial pressure varies between the peak pressure during heart contraction, called the systolic pressure, and the minimum or diastolic pressure between contractions, when the heart expands and refills.
    • This pressure variation within the artery produces the observable pulse that reflects heart activity.

  • Checking Circulation

    • For each heartbeat, blood pressure varies between systolic and diastolic pressures.
    • Systolic pressure is peak pressure in the arteries, which occurs near the end of the cardiac cycle when the ventricles are contracting.
    • An example of normal measured values for a resting, healthy adult human is 120 mmHg systolic and 80 mmHg diastolic.
    • The pressure at which this sound is first heard is the systolic blood pressure.
    • The cuff pressure is further released until no sound can be heard (fifth Korotkoff sound), at the diastolic arterial pressure.

  • Hypertension

    • Hypertension is elevated blood pressure, clinically defined as at or greater than 140/90 (systolic/diastolic) mm/Hg.
    • Hypertension (HTN) or high blood pressure, sometimes called arterial hypertension, is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated.
    • Blood pressure involves two measurements, systolic and diastolic, which depend on whether the heart muscle is contracting (systole) or relaxed between beats (diastole).
    • Normal blood pressure at rest is within the range of 100-140mmHg systolic (top reading) and 60-90mmHg diastolic (bottom reading).
    • Persistant high blood pressure can affect many areas of the body.

  • Operation of Atrioventricular Valves

    • The atrioventricular valves separate the atria from the ventricles and prevent backflow from the ventricles into the atria during systole.
    • The subvalvular apparatus has no effect on the opening and closing of the valves, which is caused entirely by the pressure gradient of blood across the valve as blood flows from high pressure to low pressure areas.
    • Atrial systole (contraction) increases the pressure in the atria, while ventricular diastole (relaxation) decreases the pressure in the ventricle, causing pressure-induced flow of blood across the valve.
    • The ring contracts at the end of atrial systole due to the contraction of the left atrium around it, which aids in bringing the leaflets together to provide firm closure during ventricular systole.
    • Blood passes through the tricuspid valve the same as it does through the bicuspid valve, based on a pressure gradient from high pressure to low pressure during systole and diastole.

  • Extremes in Blood Pressure

    • Chronically elevated blood pressure is called hypertension, while chronically low blood pressure is called hypotension.
    • In healthy adults, physiological blood pressure should fall between the range of 100-140 mmHg systolic and 60-90 mmHg diastolic.
    • Hypertension or high blood pressure, sometimes called arterial hypertension, is a chronic medical condition in which the blood pressure in the arteries is elevated above 140/90 mmHg.
    • Even moderate elevation of arterial blood pressure is associated with a shortened life expectancy.
    • However, blood pressure is considered too low only if noticeable symptoms are present.