A patient feels faint and has low blood pressure.An echocardiogram of the heart shows that the atrioventricular valve between the left atrium and left ventricle does not close completely,a condition called mitral valve prolapse.This can result in low blood pressure,because with each heartbeat the left ventricle is
A) overfilling with blood during each cardiac cycle.
B) pumping less blood than normal to the lungs.
C) pumping more blood than normal to the lungs.
D) pushing more blood than normal out to the systemic circuit.
E) pushing less blood than normal out to the systemic circuit.

Question

Quizplus · Accepted Answer

Mitral valve prolapse causes some blood to flow backward into the left atrium instead of being pushed out to the systemic circuit, resulting in less blood being pumped out to the body, which can lead to low blood pressure.

A Patient Feels Faint and Has Low Blood Pressure