If systemic vasodilation lowers afterload and CO does not compensate, what happens to mean arterial pressure?

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Multiple Choice

If systemic vasodilation lowers afterload and CO does not compensate, what happens to mean arterial pressure?

Explanation:
The main idea is that mean arterial pressure (MAP) is shaped by both how much blood the heart pumps (cardiac output) and the resistance vessels offer (systemic vascular resistance or afterload). When systemic vessels dilate, afterload and SVR drop. If the heart does not deliver more blood to counterbalance that drop (CO stays the same), the product of CO and SVR decreases, so MAP falls. In this scenario, the lack of a compensatory increase in CO means the reduced vascular resistance directly lowers arterial pressure.

The main idea is that mean arterial pressure (MAP) is shaped by both how much blood the heart pumps (cardiac output) and the resistance vessels offer (systemic vascular resistance or afterload). When systemic vessels dilate, afterload and SVR drop. If the heart does not deliver more blood to counterbalance that drop (CO stays the same), the product of CO and SVR decreases, so MAP falls. In this scenario, the lack of a compensatory increase in CO means the reduced vascular resistance directly lowers arterial pressure.

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