The afterload of the ventricular muscle refers to

Our heart is divided into the left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium and right ventricle. Different atria and ventricles are responsible for different tasks. If there is a problem with the heart, the blood in the body cannot circulate normally, and the normal life activities of the body will be seriously affected. Moreover, most heart diseases are congenital and have a certain degree of heredity. So what does the afterload of the ventricular muscle mean?

The preload of the ventricular muscle refers to the resistance or load encountered before the myocardium contracts, or in other words, the volume or pressure at the end of ventricular diastole is the preload of the ventricular muscle. It is related to venous return. Within a certain range, the preload increases as the venous return increases. Therefore, diuretics and venodilators can be used clinically to reduce venous return and alleviate preload.

When the mitral valve or aortic valve is incompletely regurgitated, the preload increases because the volume or pressure at the end of left ventricle diastole increases. Afterload refers to the resistance or load encountered after myocardial contraction, also known as pressure load. Aortic pressure and pulmonary artery pressure are the afterload of the left and right ventricular myocardium, respectively.

Hypertension and aortic valve stenosis often increase the afterload of the ventricular muscle and increase the burden on the heart. Clinically, vasodilators can be used to reduce the afterload and thus relieve the burden on the heart for some patients with heart failure.

Preload: The resistance or load encountered by the myocardium before it contracts. That is, the volume or pressure at the end of ventricular diastole. It is related to venous return. Within a certain range, as venous return increases, preload increases. When the mitral valve or aortic valve is incompletely closed, the left ventricular end-diastolic volume or pressure increases and the preload also increases.

Afterload: It is the resistance or load encountered after myocardial contraction, also known as pressure load. Aortic pressure and pulmonary artery pressure are the afterload of the left and right ventricles, respectively. Hypertension and valvular stenosis often increase the afterload of the ventricular muscle.