Final answer:
The arterial pressure during an entire cardiac cycle is known as the mean arterial pressure (MAP). It represents the average arterial pressure and is estimated by adding the diastolic blood pressure to one-third of the pulse pressure.
Step-by-step explanation:
The arterial pressure during an entire cardiac cycle is referred to as the mean arterial pressure (MAP). This represents not just a single pressure but an "average" pressure of blood in the arteries during one complete cycle of the heart. The calculation of MAP is slightly complex but it can be approximated with the formula:
MAP = diastolic BP + (systolic BP - diastolic BP) / 3
Essentially, you add the diastolic pressure (the lower value during ventricular relaxation) to one-third of the pulse pressure, which is the difference between the systolic (the higher value during ventricular contraction) and diastolic pressures. This provides a useful estimation for the average force that drives blood into the tissues served by the arteries throughout the cardiac cycle.