Frank-Starling Law

Frank-Starling law: basics and applications

The Frank-Starling law is one of the basic laws of physiology, which describes the relationship between blood volume and the force of heart contraction. This law was developed by the German physiologist Otto Frank and the English physiologist Ernest Starling in the late 19th and early 20th centuries.

According to the Frank-Starling law, the greater the volume of blood in the heart, the stronger the heart contracts. This occurs due to stretching of the walls of the heart and increased tension in the myocardium. However, if there is too much blood volume, the heart may become overloaded and unable to cope.

This law is of great importance in medicine, especially in cardiology. It helps explain why certain medications that reduce blood volume may be effective in treating heart failure. This law also explains why exercise can improve heart function because it increases the volume of blood flowing into the heart.

In addition, the Frank-Starling law is applied in many other areas of physiology, for example, in the study of the relationship between blood volume and pressure in the circulatory system. This law also helps to understand how the lung system works during breathing, since an increase in lung capacity leads to an increase in the volume of blood flowing to the heart.

In conclusion, the Frank-Starling law is one of the fundamental laws of physiology that helps explain the relationship between blood volume and the force of contraction of the heart. This law has wide application in medicine and other areas of physiology, and its understanding is important for the successful treatment of many diseases.



The Frank-Starling law is a law that describes the change in blood volume in the body when pressure changes. It was discovered in 1905 by Oscar Frank and Edward Starling.

The Frank-Starling Law states that the volume of blood held in blood vessels depends on the pressure that the blood exerts on the walls of the vessels. If the pressure increases, the blood volume also increases, and if the pressure decreases, the blood volume decreases.

This law is important for understanding the functioning of the cardiovascular system and the regulation of blood pressure. It is also used medicinally in the treatment of hypertension and hypotension.

However, the Frank-Starling law does not take into account other factors, such as changes in blood plasma volume or changes in red blood cell volume. Therefore, to more accurately describe the volume of blood in the body, other factors must be taken into account.