During diastole, arterial pressure decreases due to:

During diastole, arterial pressure decreases due to:

• A. Active ventricular filling
• B. Elastic recoil of the major arteries
• C. Aortic valve opening
• D. Increased heart rate

Answer: (B)

During diastole the heart is relaxing and not actively ejecting blood, so arterial pressure falls because the elastic walls of the major arteries snap back from their stretched state. This elastic recoil acts as a pressure reservoir, pushing blood forward and maintaining flow while the ventricle fills, which causes the pressure to decline toward diastolic levels. The aortic valve is closed during diastole, so it doesn’t contribute to pressure changes at this time. While ventricular filling occurs in diastole, it doesn’t drive the fall in arterial pressure; the primary mechanism keeping pressure from dropping abruptly is the elastic recoil of the arteries. Increasing heart rate can affect timing and the overall pressure pattern, but the key concept for the diastolic pressure decrease is arterial elastic recoil.

During diastole the heart is relaxing and not actively ejecting blood, so arterial pressure falls because the elastic walls of the major arteries snap back from their stretched state. This elastic recoil acts as a pressure reservoir, pushing blood forward and maintaining flow while the ventricle fills, which causes the pressure to decline toward diastolic levels. The aortic valve is closed during diastole, so it doesn’t contribute to pressure changes at this time. While ventricular filling occurs in diastole, it doesn’t drive the fall in arterial pressure; the primary mechanism keeping pressure from dropping abruptly is the elastic recoil of the arteries. Increasing heart rate can affect timing and the overall pressure pattern, but the key concept for the diastolic pressure decrease is arterial elastic recoil.