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Ch. 20 The Heart
Martini - Fundamentals of Anatomy & Physiology 11th Edition
Martini, Nath, Bartholomew11th EditionFundamentals of Anatomy & PhysiologyISBN: 9780136874089Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksMartini, Nath, Bartholomew 11th EditionCh. 20 The HeartProblem 10
Chapter 20, Problem 10

During diastole, a chamber of the heart:
(a) Relaxes and fills with blood
(b) Contracts and pushes blood into an adjacent chamber
(c) Experiences a sharp increase in pressure
(d) Reaches a pressure of approximately 120 mm Hg

Verified step by step guidance
1
Understand the cardiac cycle phases: systole and diastole. Systole refers to the contraction phase of the heart chambers, while diastole refers to the relaxation phase.
Recall that during diastole, the heart chambers relax after contraction, allowing them to fill with blood coming from either the veins or the adjacent heart chambers.
Recognize that during diastole, the pressure inside the heart chambers decreases to facilitate blood flow into the chambers, so a sharp increase in pressure is not characteristic of diastole.
Note that a pressure of approximately 120 mm Hg is typical of systolic pressure in the left ventricle during contraction, not during diastole.
Conclude that the correct description of what happens during diastole is that the heart chamber relaxes and fills with blood.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Cardiac Cycle Phases

The cardiac cycle consists of systole and diastole phases. Diastole is the relaxation phase when heart chambers fill with blood, while systole is the contraction phase that pumps blood out. Understanding these phases is essential to interpret heart function and pressure changes.
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Cardiac Cycle Example 3

Heart Chamber Function During Diastole

During diastole, the heart chambers, especially the atria and ventricles, relax to allow blood to flow in from veins or adjacent chambers. This filling phase is crucial for maintaining adequate cardiac output and ensuring efficient circulation.
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Functional Groups

Blood Pressure in the Heart

Blood pressure within heart chambers varies during the cardiac cycle. During diastole, pressure is relatively low to facilitate filling, whereas systole generates higher pressures (e.g., around 120 mm Hg in the left ventricle) to propel blood into arteries.
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Partial Pressure
Related Practice
Textbook Question

What role do the chordae tendineae and papillary muscles play in the normal function of the AV valves?

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Textbook Question

Identify the structures in the following diagram of a sectional view of the heart.

a. ___

b. ___

c. ___

d. ___

e. ___

f. ___

g. ___

h. ___

i. ___

j. ___

k. ___

l. ___

m. ___

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Textbook Question

Describe the three distinct layers that make up the heart wall.

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Textbook Question

Identify the superficial structures in the following diagram of the heart.

a. ___

b. ___

c. ___

d. ___

e. ___

f. ___

g. ___

h. ___

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Textbook Question

Cardiac output is equal to the:

(a) Difference between the end-diastolic volume and the end-systolic volume

(b) Product of heart rate and stroke volume

(c) Difference between the stroke volume at rest and the stroke volume during exercise

(d) Stroke volume less the end-systolic volume

(e) Product of heart rate and blood pressure

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Textbook Question

During the cardiac cycle, the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle when the semilunar valve opens is the:

(a) Stroke volume (SV)

(b) End-diastolic volume (EDV)

(c) End-systolic volume (ESV)

(d) Cardiac output (CO)

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