Which term describes the heart actively contracting to pump blood?

• A. Systolic
• B. Diastolic
• C. Stridor
• D. Normal resp.

Answer: (A)

The heart actively contracting to pump blood is systole. During systole, the ventricles contract, raising the pressure inside them and ejecting blood into the aorta and pulmonary artery. This contraction is what generates the systolic phase of the heartbeat, and it’s reflected in the systolic blood pressure, the peak pressure in the arteries. In contrast, diastole is the relaxation phase when the heart chambers fill with blood. Stridor is a sound from airway obstruction, and normal respiration describes breathing not related to the cardiac cycle. So the term for the active contraction that pumps blood is systolic.