right ventricle
Following ventricular repolarization, the ventricles begin to relax, and pressure within the ventricles drops. When the pressure falls below that of the atria, blood moves from the atria into the ventricles, opening the atrioventricular valves and marking one complete heart cycle. 35 Afterload represents the resistance within the arteries to the flow of blood ejected from the ventricles. If uncompensated, if afterload increases, flow will decrease. In order for the heart to maintain adequate flow to overcome increasing afterload, it must pump more forcefully. This is one of the negative consequences of high blood pressure or hypertension. 37 After fusion of the two endocardial tubes into the single primitive heart, five regions quickly become visible. From the head, these are the truncus arteriosus, bulbus cordis, primitive ventricle, primitive atrium, and sinus venosus. Contractions propel the blood from the sinus venosus to the truncus arteriosus. About day 23, the heart begins to form an S-shaped structure within the pericardium. The bulbus cordis develops into the right ventricle, whereas the primitive ventricle becomes the left ventricle. The interventricular septum separating these begins to form about day 28. The atrioventricular valves form between weeks five to eight. At this point, the heart ventricles resemble the adult structure.