Afterload

Ventricular systole. Red arrow is path from left ventricle to aorta. Afterload is largely dependent upon aortic pressure.

Afterload is the pressure that the heart must work against to eject blood during systole (ventricular contraction). Afterload is proportional to the average arterial pressure.[1] As aortic and pulmonary pressures increase, the afterload increases on the left and right ventricles respectively. Afterload changes to adapt to the continually changing demands on an animal's cardiovascular system.[1] Afterload is proportional to mean systolic blood pressure and is measured in millimeters of mercury (mm Hg).

  1. ^ a b Mohrman, David E. (2018). Cardiovascular Physiology, 9e. McGraw-Hill Education LLC. ISBN 9781260026115. OCLC 1055827575.