To study the effects of contraction mode on ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume relationship, we compared the end-systolic pressure of isovolumic contraction with that of ejecting contraction at an identical end-systolic volume. The left ventricle of excised cross-circulated canine hearts was fitted with a water-filled balloon. The balloon was connected to a hydraulic pump that allowed the ventricle to contract to a preset constant end-systolic volume (19-37 ml) from a variable end-diastolic volume. At each of control, enhanced, and depressed levels of contractility, differences of end-systolic pressures of steady state isovolumic and ejecting contractions were evaluated while stroke volume and velocity of ejection were widely varied. The end-systolic pressure in the ejecting contraction tended to decrease by 5-15% from that of the isovolumic beat with increases in either stroke volume to 20-25 ml or peak velocity of ejection to about 800 ml/sec. There was no obvious difference in the results at different levels of contractility. The magnitude of the end-systolic pressure depression due to ejection was, however, relatively small as compared to 4-fold changes in end-systolic pressure due to the changes in contracility. We, therefore, conclude that the ventricular end-systolic pressure-volume relationship is affected slightly by ejection, and that this effect is much smaller than the maximal effect of changing contractility on the end-systolic pressure-volume relationship.