Question

Ms. FIscher's class is discussing blood pressure. When Ms. Fisher asks what the diastolic blood pressure reading represents, which is the BEST response?
A. "The ejection of blood from the heart"
B. "The pressure when the heart is resting between beats"
C. "The speed at which blood flows into and out of body tissues"
D. "The amount of carbon dioxide in blood"

Answer 1

B. "The pressure when the heart is resting between beats"

Diastolic pressure is the lower number in a blood pressure reading and reflects arterial pressure during ventricular relaxation (the heart's resting/filling phase). Systolic (not diastolic) is the pressure during ventricular contraction/ejection.