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The cardiac cycle consists of a period of relaxation called diastole, during which the heart fills with blood, followed by a period of contraction called systole. The total duration of the cardiac cycle, including systole and diastole, is the reciprocal of the heart rate. For example, if heart rate is 72 beats/min, the duration of the cardiac cycle is 1/72 beats/min about 0.0139 minutes per beat, or 0.833 second per beat.