What does systolic blood pressure represent?

Systolic blood pressure represents the pressure in the large arteries during ventricular contraction. This occurs when the heart's ventricles contract and pump blood out into the arteries, leading to a peak in arterial pressure. The measurement is taken when the heart is actively working to circulate blood, reflecting the force exerted on the walls of the arteries. This is crucial for understanding cardiovascular health, as higher systolic pressures can indicate increased workload on the heart and may be associated with health risks.

In contrast, the other options describe different concepts related to blood pressure and heart function, such as diastolic pressure (when the heart is at rest), the average blood pressure across the cardiac cycle, and vascular resistance encountered by the blood, which are all distinct from what systolic blood pressure specifically measures.