In cardiac physiology, afterload is the tension produced by a chamber of the heart in order to contract. If the chamber is not mentioned, it is usually assumed to be the left ventricle. Cardiology is the branch of medicine dealing with disorders of the heart and blood vessels. ... Physiology (in Greek physis = nature and logos = word) is the study of the mechanical, physical, and biochemical functions of living organisms. ... The heart and lungs (from an older edition of Grays Anatomy) The heart (Latin cor) is a hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood through the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions. ... Contraction can mean: Contraction (childbirth), a contraction during childbirth; Contraction (linguistics), a new word formed from two or more individual words; Contraction (science), one that can occur to solid matter as it cools; Contraction mapping, in mathematics, a type of function on a metric space; Muscle contraction, one that occurs... In the heart, a ventricle is a chamber which collects blood from an atrium (another heart chamber) and pumps it out of the heart. ...

Afterload can also be described as the pressure that the chamber of the heart has to generate in order to eject blood out of the chamber.

In the case of the left ventricle, the afterload is a consequence of the blood pressure, since the pressure in the ventricle must be greater than the blood pressure in order to open the aortic valve. In the heart, a ventricle is a chamber which collects blood from an atrium (another heart chamber) and pumps it out of the heart. ... Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. ... The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. ...

Disease processes that increase the left ventricular afterload include increased blood pressure and aortic valve disease. In the heart, a ventricle is a chamber which collects blood from an atrium (another heart chamber) and pumps it out of the heart. ... Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. ... The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. ...

Hypertension (Increased blood pressure) increases the left ventricular afterload because the left ventricle has to work harder to eject blood into the aorta. This is because the aortic valve won't open until the pressure generated in the left ventricle is higher than the elevated blood pressure. For other forms of hypertension see hypertension (disambiguation) Hypertension or high blood pressure is a medical condition where the blood pressure in the arteries is chronically elevated. ... Blood pressure is the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the blood vessels. ... In the heart, a ventricle is a chamber which collects blood from an atrium (another heart chamber) and pumps it out of the heart. ...

Aortic stenosis increases the afterload because the left ventricle has to overcome the pressure gradient caused by the stenotic aortic valve in addition to the blood pressure in order to eject blood into the aorta. For instance, if the blood pressure is 120/80, and the aortic valve stenosis creates a trans-valvular gradient of 30 mmHg, the left ventricle has to generate a pressure of 150 mmHg in order to open the aortic valve and eject blood into the aorta. Aortic valve stenosis (AS) is a heart condition caused by the incomplete opening of the aortic valve. ... The largest artery in the human body, the aorta originates from the left ventricle of the heart and brings oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in the systemic circulation. ... One way of defining pressure is in terms of the height of a column of fluid that may be supported by that pressure; or the height of a column of fluid that exerts that pressure at its base. ...

Aortic insufficiency increases afterload because a percentage of the blood that is ejected forward regurgitates back through the diseased aortic valve. This leads to elevated systolic blood pressure. Aortic insufficiency (AI), also known as aortic regurgitation (AR), is the leaking of the aortic valve of the heart that causes blood to flow in the reverse direction during ventricular diastole, from the aorta into the left ventricle. ... Systole is the contraction of the chambers of the heart, driving blood out of the chambers. ...

Mitral regurgitation decreases the afterload. During ventricular systole, the blood can regurgitate through the diseased mitral valve as well as be ejected through the aortic valve. This means that the left ventricle has to work less to eject blood, causing a decreased afterload. Mitral regurgitation (MR), also known as mitral insufficiency, is the abnormal leaking of blood through the mitral valve, from the left ventricle into the left atrium of the heart. ... The mitral valve is a valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium (LA) and the left ventricle (LV). ...