###### Created: 2022-04-04 14:33 ###### Areas & Topics: #medicine #bloodpressure ###### Note Type: #permanent ###### Connected to: [[Systemic Arterial Blood Pressure - Medical Sciences, Third Edition]] [[Baroreceptors and the Baroreceptor Reflex]] - Orthostasis means the maintenance of standing upright. - The term comes from the Greek Orthos (meaning upright) and histanai (meaning to stand). - When moving from supine (laying down) to vertical (upright), blood pressure **below** the heart increases and blood pressure **above** the heart decreases due to gravity - This intiates the [[Baroreceptors and the Baroreceptor Reflex]] to compensate for the change in blood pressure. - When normal physiological responses fail, patients can experience orthostatic (postural) hypotension. ### Sources Orthostasis - PubMed https://pubmed.ncbi.nlm.nih.gov/30422533/