systemic vascular resistance


sys·tem·ic vas·cu·lar re·sis·tance

an index of arteriolar compliance or constriction throughout the body; proportional to the blood pressure divided by the cardiac output.

sys·tem·ic vas·cu·lar re·sis·tance

(sis-tem'ik vas'kyū-lăr rĕ-zis'tăns) An index of arteriolar compliance or constriction throughout the body; equal to the blood pressure divided by the cardiac output.

systemic vascular resistance

Abbreviation: SVR
The resistance to the flow of blood through the body's blood vessels. It increases as vessels constrict (as when a drug like norepinephrine is given) and decreases when vessels dilate (as in septic shock). Any change in the diameter, elasticity, or number of vessels recruited can influence the measured amount of resistance to the flow of blood through the body. See also: resistance