Question

What region of the pressure-volume loop would you see aortic insufficiency?

What happens to this line?
a) Early diastole; The line rises abruptly
b) Late systole; The line drops suddenly
c) End-systole; The line rises gradually
d) Early systole; The line rises sharply

Answer 1

Aortic insufficiency is observed in early diastole on the pressure-volume loop, where the line representing volume rises abruptly due to blood regurgitating from the aorta into the ventricle.

Step-by-step explanation:

In the context of a pressure-volume loop of the cardiac cycle, aortic insufficiency is represented in the region corresponding to early diastole. During this phase, blood regurgitates from the aorta back into the left ventricle due to the inability of the aortic valve to close properly. As a result, there is an increase in the volume of blood in the ventricle without a change in pressure, causing the line in the pressure-volume loop to rise abruptly. This phenomenon can be described as (a) Early diastole; The line rises abruptly. It is during this phase that the heart muscle is relaxed, and the pressure in the ventricles starts falling below the pressure in the aorta, leading to the backflow of blood.