What term identifies the preparation phase of the heart before it works again?

The term that identifies the preparation phase of the heart before it works again is diastole. During diastole, the heart muscles relax after contraction (systole), allowing the chambers of the heart to fill with blood. This phase is crucial for maintaining an efficient and effective cardiac cycle since it sets the stage for the heart to pump blood out again during the next contraction.

In this period, the heart's atria fill with blood from the veins, and the ventricles also fill with blood coming from the atria. This preparation is vital for ensuring that the heart can generate sufficient pressure when it contracts in the next phase. Proper understanding of diastole and systole is essential when analyzing the cardiac cycle and interpreting EKG readings.

The other terms do not accurately describe this preparation phase. Baseline refers to the flat line seen on an EKG that indicates no electrical activity, repolarization is the process of the heart cells returning to their resting state after depolarization (or contraction), and systole refers to the contraction phase of the heart when the blood is pumped out. Understanding these distinct phases is foundational in the study of cardiac physiology and EKG interpretation.