atrial kick
a·tri·al kick
the priming force contributed by atrial contraction immediately before ventricular systole that acts to increase the efficiency of ventricular ejection due to acutely increased preload.
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atrial kick
Atrial systole Cardiology The contraction of the atrium, which accounts for 5-30% of cardiac output; it appears as an abrupt notch in the pressure curve in the ventricular outflow tract, and is typical of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy–formerly idiopathic hypertrophic subaortic stenosisMcGraw-Hill Concise Dictionary of Modern Medicine. © 2002 by The McGraw-Hill Companies, Inc.