Skip to main content

Afterload

Meaning

Afterload represents the total resistance or pressure the heart’s ventricles must overcome to eject blood into the systemic and pulmonary circulation during systole. This hemodynamic parameter is essentially the tension developed in the ventricular wall during contraction, determined largely by systemic vascular resistance and aortic pressure. In the context of overall wellness, managing afterload is critical for cardiovascular efficiency and preventing pathological cardiac remodeling.