Cardiac Cycle - Reduced Filling (Phase 7)

A-V Valves Open

• As the ventricles continue to fill with blood and expand, they become less compliant and the intraventricular pressures rise.  This reduces the pressure gradient across the AV valves so that the rate of filling falls.

• In normal, resting hearts, the ventricle is about 90% filled by the end of this phase. In other words, about 90% of ventricular filling occurs before atrial contraction (phase 1).

• Aortic pressure and pulmonary arterial pressures continue to fall during this period.

Jump to other phases:

• Phase 1 - Atrial Contraction

• Phase 2 - Isovolumetric Contraction
• Phase 3 - Rapid Ejection
• Phase 4 - Reduced Ejection
• Phase 5 - Isovolumetric Relaxation
• Phase 6 - Rapid Filling

Revised 04/13/07