What is the term for the arterial pressure between heart contractions?

• A. Atrioventricular junction
• B. AV node
• C. Sinoatrial node
• D. Purkinje fibers

Answer: (C)

During the cardiac cycle, arterial pressure changes as the heart alternates between contracting and relaxing. The pressure in the arteries while the ventricles are relaxed and filling is called diastolic pressure. It’s the lower value in a blood pressure reading and reflects the arterial set point when the heart is not actively pumping. The terms listed are all parts of the heart’s electrical conduction system that regulate timing and rhythm, not a pressure phase: the sinoatrial node acts as the natural pacemaker, the AV node and AV junction coordinate impulse conduction, and Purkinje fibers distribute the impulse to the ventricles. So the term for arterial pressure between contractions is diastolic pressure.