Organ or Tissue Function
systole Audio
sys·to·le [ sis-tuh-lee, -lee ]
Subclass of:
Myocardial Contraction
Etymology:
Greek syn = together + stellein = to draw
Hence to draw together or to contract, as the heart does in systolic contraction.
Definitions related to systole:
  • Period of contraction of the HEART, especially of the HEART VENTRICLES.
    NLM Medical Subject Headings
    U.S. National Library of Medicine, 2025
  • The brief period during which the heart contracts during a normal heartbeat, pumping blood into the aorta and the pulmonary artery.
    Harvard Dictionary of Health Terms
    Harvard Medical Publishing, 2011
  • The contraction of the chambers of the heart (especially the ventricles) to drive blood into the aorta and pulmonary artery.
    NCI
    U.S. National Cancer Institute, 2021
  • Systole, period of contraction of the ventricles of the heart that occurs between the first and second heart sounds of the cardiac cycle (the sequence of events in a single heart beat). Systole causes the ejection of blood into the aorta and pulmonary trunk. Lasting usually 0.3 to 0.4 second...
    Encyclopedia Britannica
    Encyclopedia Britannica, Inc., 2025
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