What is defined as the amount of blood left in the ventricle right after contraction?

The amount of blood left in the ventricle right after contraction is referred to as End Systolic Volume (ESV). During the cardiac cycle, after the heart contracts and ejects blood into the arteries, there is still a residual volume of blood that remains in the ventricles. This volume is critical for understanding the efficiency and function of the heart.

End Systolic Volume is important in calculating other cardiac measures, such as the Stroke Volume, which is the amount of blood ejected with each heartbeat, and Cardiac Output, which represents the total volume of blood the heart pumps in a minute. The determination of ESV can provide insights into the heart’s contractile ability and overall health.

Conversely, End Diastolic Volume refers to the total volume of blood in the ventricles just before they contract, a different point in the cardiac cycle, and thus does not measure the residual blood post-contraction. Stroke Volume is the volume of blood pumped from a ventricle with each heartbeat, and Cardiac Output is the product of Stroke Volume and heart rate, indicating the performance of the heart over time.