Defining Systole

Hi Team, the purpose of this assignment is to create three different definitions of a word for a non-technical audience. The term must be relatively complex and be defined in a way that is appropriate for the chosen audience.

Term: Systole

Situation/Context: A cardiologist is explaining to a patient how the heart pumps blood.

Parenthetical Definition: Systole (a rhythmic contraction of the heart) is what pumps blood to the body.

Sentence Definition: Systole refers to the rhythmic contractions of the ventricles which are two of the four heart chambers. The contractions of the right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs while the contraction of the left ventricle pumps to the rest of the body.

Expanded Definition

Etymology: The word systole is derived from the Greek word sustellein, which means “to contract.”

Comparison: When your blood pressure is taken you are given a systolic (top) and diastolic (bottom) number. The systolic number refers to the pressure exerted by the blood on the walls of the arteries during systole.

Visual:

Figure 1. A diagram of the heart showing the contracting ventricles during systole

Description and Analysis of Parts:

There are a few key anatomical features relevant to systole.
1. The atria – the empty cavities that hold blood before it is pumped into the ventricles
2. The ventricles – the empty cavities that hold the blood before it is pumped into the body
3. The aortic and pulmonary valves – these separate the ventricles from the aorta and pulmonary trunk
4. The aorta and pulmonary trunk – These are the vessels through which the blood is pumped out of the ventricles

 

Citations

Systole. (2020, April 13). Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Systole

Systole. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.etymonline.com/word/systole

Systole: Definition of Systole by Oxford Dictionary on Lexico.com also meaning of Systole. (n.d.). Retrieved June 4, 2020, from https://www.lexico.com/en/definition/systole

The Editors of Encyclopaedia Britannica. (2020, March 11). Systole. Retrieved June 5, 2020, from https://www.britannica.com/science/systole-heart-function

 

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