A measure of the pressure with which the heart pumps blood into the circulation, usually referred to by two numbers. The ‘systolic’ pressure refers to the maximum pressure in the artery during each heart beat, while the ‘diastolic’ pressure is the minimum pressure between heart beats. The left side of the heart and the arteries are operating as a high pressure system, while the veins, the right side of the heart and the pulmonary circulation operate at a much lower pressure.
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