The basics of ventricular function

There has been increasing interest in the study of ventricular function in the patient with congenital heart disease. Numerous indexes have been deriv ed for the assessment of ventricular function, suggesting that none is idea l. While the derivation of some measures of ventricular function have relie d on advanced mathematical principles, it is still possible for the non-mat hematician to obtain important insights into ventricular function from an a ssessment of the events which underpin the cardiac cycle. In this review, I use the mechanics of the cardiac cycle to introduce basic concepts of vent ricular function for the non-expert. In this way, I analyse ventricular sys tolic and diastolic performance and describe the contribution of regional v ariability of function to overall performance. This approach also highlight s the role of the ventricle in overall cardiovascular and metabolic homeost asis.