Which value represents the pressure exerted when the heart is pumping blood?

Systolic pressure is the measure of the pressure in the arteries when the heart beats and pumps blood. This reflects the force exerted on the artery walls during this phase of the cardiac cycle. During systole, the heart's ventricles contract, resulting in a surge of blood flow into the arteries, which raises this pressure level.

Understanding systolic pressure is crucial for assessing cardiovascular health, as elevated values can indicate conditions like hypertension and increase the risk of heart disease. In contrast, diastolic pressure measures the pressure in the arteries when the heart is at rest between beats, while mean arterial pressure provides an average blood pressure in the arteries during one cardiac cycle, and pulmonary pressure refers to pressure in the pulmonary artery, which is different from systemic arterial pressure. Therefore, systolic pressure is the specific value that directly correlates with the heart's pumping action.