Final answer:
The pressure that drives blood into tissues, averaged over the entire cardiac cycle, is the Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP). It is calculated using systolic and diastolic blood pressure values and is crucial in understanding the average force driving blood into tissues.
Step-by-step explanation:
The pressure that drives blood into tissues, averaged over the entire cardiac cycle, is known as the Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP). This pressure represents an average force that drives blood into vessels that are utilized by tissues. The MAP is estimated by adding the diastolic blood pressure to one-third of the pulse pressure, which is the difference between systolic and diastolic pressures. So, the correct answer is C. Mean arterial pressure. Systolic blood pressure refers to the highest pressure in the arteries, which occurs during the heart's contraction phase (systole), while diastolic blood pressure represents the lowest pressure during the relaxation phase (diastole) of the heart. Both contribute to the calculation of the MAP, underscoring their importance in understanding overall blood pressure regulation.