<P> In cardiovascular physiology , end - diastolic volume ( EDV ) is the volume of blood in the right and / or left ventricle at end load or filling in ( diastole ) or the amount of blood in the ventricles just before systole . Because greater EDVs cause greater distention of the ventricle , EDV is often used synonymously with preload , which refers to the length of the sarcomeres in cardiac muscle prior to contraction ( systole ) . An increase in EDV increases the preload on the heart and , through the Frank - Starling mechanism of the heart , increases the amount of blood ejected from the ventricle during systole ( stroke volume ) . </P>
volume and pressure inside the left ventricle at the end of diastole is referred to as
preload