Progressive Care Nursing Certification (PCCN) Practice Exam

In the context of heart failure, what does the term 'contractility' refer to?

1. The heart's ability to fill with blood

2. The heart's ability to relax

3. The heart's ability to pump effectively

4. The heart's size

The correct answer is: The heart's ability to pump effectively

Contractility in the context of heart failure specifically refers to the heart's ability to pump effectively. It is a measure of the strength of the heart's contractions, or how forcefully the heart muscle contracts and ejects blood during each heartbeat. When contractility is compromised, the heart may struggle to pump adequate blood to meet the body's needs, leading to symptoms of heart failure such as fatigue, fluid retention, and shortness of breath. The ability of the heart to fill with blood relates more closely to preload, which is the volume of blood in the ventricles at the end of diastole. The ability to relax pertains to the diastolic function of the heart, which impacts how well the heart can fill with blood during the relaxation phase. The heart's size is not directly related to contractility; while size can influence function, contractility specifically focuses on the force of the heart’s contractions. Therefore, effective pumping is directly tied to the concept of contractility.