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 derived for the assessment of ventricular function, suggesting that none is ideal. While the derivation of some measures of ventricular function have relied on advanced mathematical principles, it is still possible for the non-mathematician to obtain important insights into ventricular function from an assessment of the events which underpin the cardiac cycle. In this review, I use the mechanics of the cardiac cycle to introduce basic concepts of ventricular function for the non-expert. In this way, I analyse ventricular systolic and diastolic performance and describe the contribution of regional variability of function to overall performance. This approach also highlights the role of the ventricle in overall cardiovascular and metabolic homeostasis.