Rock the CAMRT Radiography Exam 2026 – Snap Your Future into Focus!

The term used for the period of relaxation of the heart is diastole. During diastole, the heart muscle relaxes, allowing the chambers of the heart (the atria and ventricles) to fill with blood. This stage is crucial for the proper functioning of the heart, as it prepares the heart to pump blood effectively during the subsequent contraction phase known as systole.

In the context of the cardiovascular cycle, understanding diastole is important for recognizing how blood flow is maintained throughout the body. Conditions affecting diastole, such as diastolic dysfunction, can lead to inadequate filling of the heart and result in various health issues.

The other terms listed among the choices refer to different physiological concepts: systole refers to the contraction of the heart muscles, hypertension denotes elevated blood pressure, and dyspnea describes difficulty breathing. Each of these has its unique role in cardiovascular physiology but does not describe the period of relaxation of the heart.