What term describes the volume of blood in the ventricle at the end of diastole?

• A. End-diastolic volume (preload).
• B. End-systolic volume
• C. Atrial kick
• D. Stroke volume

Answer: (A)

End-diastolic volume describes the amount of blood in the ventricle at the end of diastole. This moment marks the end of filling and sets the initial stretch of the ventricle before it contracts, a property known as preload. The term explicitly refers to the ventricular volume at the end of diastole, before systole begins.

End-systolic volume is the amount left in the ventricle after contraction. The atrial kick is the final atrial contraction that helps move additional blood into the ventricle but isn’t the volume measurement. Stroke volume is the amount ejected per heartbeat, calculated as end-diastolic volume minus end-systolic volume.