A cardiac cycle is a period that begins with atrioventricular contraction and concludes with ventricular relaxation.
The cardiac cycle describes how the human heart works from the start of one heartbeat to the start of the next.
It comprises two phases: systole, when the heart muscle is strongly contracted and pumps blood; and diastole when the heart muscle relaxes and fills with blood.
The heart quickly relaxes and expands after emptying to take in the second rush of blood coming from the lungs and other systems of the body, before contracting once again to pump blood to those organs.
5 stages of the cardiac cycle:
Atrial systole - atria contract which power blood into the ventricles. The AV valve opens while the semilunar valves close.