systolic

[ si-stol-ik ]

adjective

1. (of blood pressure) indicating the maximum arterial pressure occurring during contraction of the left ventricle of the heart.

Other Words From

• hyper·sys·tolic adjective
• postsys·tolic adjective
• presys·tolic adjective

Word History and Origins

Origin of systolic¹

First recorded in 1685–95; systole + -ic

Example Sentences

On Oct.12, Plasencia injected Perry with a "large dose" that led the actor to experience an "adverse medical reaction," spiking his systolic blood pressure.

From Salon

In this study, the patch was tested on 36 healthy volunteers for its ability to measure blood flow velocities -- peak systolic, mean flow and end diastolic velocities -- in the brain's major arteries.

From Science Daily

Six children had systolic heart failure caused by a disease called dilated cardiomyopathy, in which the heart muscle becomes enlarged and weakened and does not pump correctly.

From Science Daily

This means that the heart can still pump out more than 50 percent of the volume in the left chamber of the heart, known as preserved left ventricular systolic function.

From Science Daily

Blood pressure in premenopausal human and mouse females is typically 10 points lower in both diastolic and systolic pressure than in males.

From Science Daily