End-systolic volume (ESV) is the volume of blood in a ventricle at the end of contraction, or

systole Systole ( ) is the part of the cardiac cycle during which some chambers of the heart contract after refilling with blood. Its contrasting phase is diastole, the relaxed phase of the cardiac cycle when the chambers of the heart are refilling ...

, and the beginning of filling, or

diastole Diastole ( ) is the relaxed phase of the cardiac cycle when the chambers of the heart are refilling with blood. The contrasting phase is systole when the heart chambers are contracting. Atrial diastole is the relaxing of the atria, and ventricul ...

. ESV is the lowest volume of blood in the ventricle at any point in the

cardiac cycle The cardiac cycle is the performance of the heart, human heart from the beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next. It consists of two periods: one during which the heart muscle relaxes and refills with blood, called diastole, fo ...

. The main factors that affect the end-systolic volume are afterload and the contractility of the heart. __TOC__

Uses

End systolic volume can be used clinically as a measurement of the adequacy of cardiac emptying, related to systolic function. On an electrocardiogram, or ECG, the end-systolic volume will be seen at the end of the T wave. Clinically, ESV can be measured using two-dimensional

echocardiography Echocardiography, also known as cardiac ultrasound, is the use of ultrasound to examine the heart. It is a type of medical imaging, using standard ultrasound or Doppler ultrasound. The visual image formed using this technique is called an ec ...

, MRI (

magnetic resonance tomography Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) is a medical imaging technique used in radiology to generate pictures of the anatomy and the physiological processes inside the body. MRI scanners use strong magnetic fields, magnetic field gradients, and rad ...

) or cardiac CT (

computed tomography A computed tomography scan (CT scan), formerly called computed axial tomography scan (CAT scan), is a medical imaging technique used to obtain detailed internal images of the body. The personnel that perform CT scans are called radiographers or ...

) or SPECT (single photon emission computed tomography).

Sample values

Along with end-diastolic volume, ESV determines the stroke volume, or output of blood by the heart during a single phase of the cardiac cycle. The

stroke volume In cardiovascular physiology, stroke volume (SV) is the volume of blood pumped from the ventricle (heart), ventricle per beat. Stroke volume is calculated using measurements of ventricle volumes from an Echocardiography, echocardiogram and subtra ...

is the difference between the end-diastolic volume and the end-systolic volume. The end-systolic values in the table below are for the left ventricle: The right ventricular end-systolic volume (RVESV) normally ranges between 50 and 100 mL.

References

Cardiovascular physiology {{circulatory-stub