Measuring Cardiac Performance: Aims and Validity of Invasive and NonInvasive Assessment

In the collection on Cardiac mechanics, edited by Mirsky, Ghista and Sandler (1) it is stated that contractility is a loosely worded term, often used to describe the performance of the heart muscle. One could continue in saying that cardiac performance is a loosely worded term often used to describe pump function, dynamic geometry of the ventricles, the overall mechanical behaviour of the heart or, still more extensive, the complex mechanisms which enable the heart to fulfill its pump function, including the underlying electrical and biochemical processes.