1.2 Cardiovascular and Respiratory Systems Flashcards
What is the definition of pulmonary circuit ?
Circulation of blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs and pulmonary vein back to the heart.
What is the definition of systemic circuit?
Circulation of blood through the aorta to the body and vena cava back to the heart.
What does the cardiovascular system consist of ?
The heart (cardiac muscle), blood vessels and the blood they contain.
What are the two circuits of the cardiovascular system ?
Pulmonary circuit
Systemic circuit
What is the path of the blood on the left side of the heart ?
Blood is oxygenated at the lungs and brought back to the left atria through the pulmonary vein. Oxygenated blood moves from the left atria, through the left AV valve (bicuspid) into the left ventricle to be forced out of the left side of the heart into the aorta. The aorta carries this oxygenated blood to the muscles and organs.
What is the path of the blood on the right side of the heart?
Deoxygenated blood from the muscles and organs arrives back at the right atria through the vena cava. It moves from the right atria, through the right AV valve (tricuspid) into the right ventricle to be forced out of the right side of the heart into the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery carries this deoxygenated blood to the lungs.
What is the definition of oxygenated blood?
Blood saturated with oxygen and nutrients, such as glucose.
What is the definition of deoxygenated blood?
Blood depleted of oxygen, saturated with carbon dioxide and waste products.
What is the definition of conduction system?
A set of structures in the cardiac muscle which create and transmit an electrical impulse, forcing the atria and ventricles to contract.
What is the definition of myogenic?
The capacity of the heart to generate its own electrical impulse, which causes the cardiac muscle to contract.
What are the 5 structures of the conduction system ?
- Sino-atrial node (SA node)
- Atrio-ventricular node (AV node)
- Bundle of His
- Bundle branches
- Purkyne fibres
What is the SA node ?
Located in the right atrial wall, the SA node generates the electrical impulse and fires it through the atria walls, causing them to contract. The SA node is more commonly known as the pacemaker as the firing rate will determine the heart rate.
What does the AV node do?
The AV node collects the impulse and delays it for approximately 0.1 seconds to allow the atria to finish contracting. It then releases the impulse to the Bundle of His.
What does the Bundle of His do?
Located in the septum of the heart, the Bundle of His splits the impulse into two, ready to be distributed through each separate ventricle.
What do the bundle branches do?
These carry the impulse to the base of each ventricle.
What do the purkyne fibres do?
These distribute the impulse through the ventricle walls, causing them to contract.
Explain the process of the conduction system.
- SA node generates the electrical impulse and fires it through the atria walls, causing them to contract.
- AV node collects the impulse and delays it for approximately 0.1 seconds to allow the atria to finish contracting. It then releases the impulse to the Bundle of His.
- Bundle of His splits the impulse into two, ready to be distributed through each separate ventricle.
- Bundle Branches carry the impulse to the base of each ventricle.
- Purkyne fibres distribute the impulse through the ventricle walls, causing them to contract.
What does the cardiac cycle refer to?
The process of cardiac muscle contraction and the movement of blood through its chambers.
How long does one complete cardiac cycle take?
0.8 seconds.
What are the two distinct phases of the cardiac cycle?
Diastole
Systole
What is the definition of cardiac diastole?
The relaxation phase of cardiac muscle where the chambers fill with blood.
What is the definition of cardiac systole?
The contraction phase of cardiac muscle where blood is forcibly ejected into the aorta and pulmonary artery.
What happens during the diastole phase of the cardiac cycle?
As the atria and then the ventricles relax, they expand drawing blood into the atria.
The pressure in the atria increases opening AV valves.
Blood passively enters the ventricles.
SL valves are closed to prevent blood from leaving the heart.
What happens during the atrial systole phase of the cardiac cycle?
The atria contract, forcing remaining blood into the ventricle.
What happens during the ventricular systole phase of the cardiac cycle?
The ventricles contract, increasing the pressure closing the AV valves to prevent backflow into the atria.
SL valves are forced open as blood is ejected from the ventricles into the aorta and pulmonary artery.
What is the definition of heart rate?
The number of times the heart beats per minute.
What is the unit of heart rate?
bpm
What is the average resting heart rate?
72bpm
What is heart rate affected by?
Genetics
Gender
Fitness
How does being an elite athlete affect heart rate?
It would be expected for an elite endurance athletes to have a resting heart rate lower than 60bpm.
What is the definition of bradycardia?
A resting heart rate below 60bpm.
What is cardiac hypertrophy?
An increase in size of the cardiac muscle, which often happens for elite endurance athletes.
How can you find maximal heart rate?
Subtracting your age from 220.
What is the definition of stroke volume?
The volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle per beat.
What is the average stroke volume?
70ml
What is the unit for stroke volume?
ml
What is the definition of venous return?
The return of the blood to the right atria through the veins.
What are the two factors that stroke volume is dependent on?
- Venous return - the greater the return of blood to the heart, the greater the volume of blood available in the ventricles for ejecting.
- Ventricular elasticity and contractility refers to the degree of stretch in the cardiac muscle fibres. - The greater the stretch, the greater the force of contraction, which will raise stroke volume.
What is the definition of cardiac output?
The volume of blood ejected from the left ventricle per minute.
What is the unit for cardiac output?
l/min
What is the average cardiac output?
5l/min
How do you find stroke volume?
Heart rate x stroke volume
What is the definition of sub-maximal exercise?
A low-to-moderate intensity of exercise within a performer’s aerobic capacity.
What is the definition of maximal exercise?
A high intensity of exercise above a performer’s aerobic capacity that will induce fatigue.
Describe what a graph would like that shows heart rate response to increasing exercise intensity.
- An initial anticipatory rise in heart rate prior to exercise due to the release of the hormone adrenaline.
- A rapid increase in heart rate at the start of exercise to increase blood flow and oxygen delivery in line with exercise intensity.
- A steady state in heart rate throughout the sustained intensity exercise as oxygen supply meets demand.
- An initial rapid decrease in heart rate as recovery is entered and the action of the muscle pump reduces.
- A more gradual decrease in heart rate to resting levels.
What is the definition of the Frank-Starling mechanism?
Increased venous returns leads to an increased stroke volume, due to an increased stretch of the ventricle walls and therefore force of contraction.
What two factors enable the stroke volume to increase?
- Increased venous return
- The Frank-Starling mechanism.
How does an increased venous return increase stroke volume?
During exercise, venous return increases, meaning there is a greater volume of blood returning to the heart and filling ventricles. This is due to the squeezing action of muscular contraction around the veins known as muscle pump.
How does the Frank-Starling mechanism increase stroke volume?
The Frank-Starling mechanism shows us how SV is dependent on venous return. An increased volume of blood returning to the heart leads to an increased end-diastolic in the ventricles and therefore greater stretch on the ventricle walls. This greater stretch increases the force of ventricular contraction, ejecting a larger volume of blood from the ventricles. The lower the heart rate, the more time available to maximise this effect, hence why we see a greater exercising stroke volume in trained athletes.
Why does stroke volume reach a plateau during sub-maximal intensity?
Increases heart rate towards maximal intensities does not allow enough time for the ventricles to completely fill with blood in the diastolic phase. This limits the Frank-Starling mechanism.
How is the heart rate regulated?
The automatic nervous system (ANS) involuntarily regulates heart rate and determines the firing rate of the SA node. The higher the firing rate of the SA node, the higher the heart rate. From the medulla oblongata in the brain, the cardiac control centre (CCC) received information from the sensory nerves and sends direction through motor nerves to change heart rate.
What are the three main sources of information that determine the actions of the CCC?
- Neural control
- Intrinsic control
- Hormonal control
What are the three neural control factors that help the determine the actions of the CCC?
Chemoreceptors- located in the muscles, aorta and carotid arteries inform the CCC of chemical changes in the blood stream, such as increased levels of carbon dioxide and lactic acid.
Proprioceptors - located in the muscles, tendons and joints to inform the CCC of motor activity.
Baroreceptors - located in the blood vessels walls inform the CCC of increased blood pressure.
What are the two intrinsic control factors that help to determine the actions of the CCC?
- Temperature change will affect the viscosity (thickness) of the blood and speed of the nerve impulse transmission.
- Venous return changes will affects the stretch in the ventricle walls, forces of ventricular contraction and therefore stroke volume.
What is the hormonal control factor that helps to determine the actions of the CCC?
Adrenaline and noradrenaline are realised from the adrenal glands, increasing the force of ventricular contraction (therefore stroke volume) and increasing the spread of electrical activity through the heart (therefore heart rate)
What is the definition of the cardiac control centre?
A control centre in the medulla oblongata responsible for heart rate regulation.
What is the definition of the sympathetic nervous system?
It is part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for increasing heart rate, specifically during exercise.
What is the definition of parasympathetic nervous system?
It is part of the autonomic nervous system responsible for decreasing heart rate, specifically during recovery.
What is the vascular system?
The dense network of blood vessels and the blood which they carry in one direction every corner of the human body.
What is the function of the vascular system?
It ensures oxygen and nutrients are delivered to all respiring cells for energy production, and waste is removed efficiently.
What are the 3 functions of the blood?
Transports nutrients such as oxygen and glucose.
Protects and fight disease.
Maintain the internal stability of the body (homeostasis) and regulates temperature.
What are the three main types of blood vessel?
Arteries
Veins
Capillaries
What do arteries and arterioles do?
Transport oxygenated blood from the heart to the muscles and organs.
What is the main artery ?
The aorta, which carries blood at high pressure directly from the left ventricle.
What does vasodilate mean?
Widening of arteries, arterioles and per-capillary sphincters.
What does vasoconstrict mean?
Narrowing of arteries, arterioles and per-capillary sphincters.
What is the structure of arteries ?
Larger layer of smooth muscle and elastic tissue to cushion and and smooth the pulsating blood flow.
What is the structure and function of arterioles?
Large layer of smooth muscle allowing both vessels to vasodilate and vasoconstrict to regulate blood flow and control blood pressure.
They have a ring of smooth muscle surrounding the entry of a capillary bed called pre-capillary sphincters. These dilate and constrict to control the blood flow through the capillary bed.
What is the function is capillaries ?
They bring the blood slowly into close contact with the muscle and organ cells from gaseous exchange.
What is the structure of capillaries ?
Capillary wall are composed of a single layer of cells, thin enough to allow gas, nutrient and waste exchange.
What is the function of veins and venules?
They transport deoxygenated blood from the muscles and organs to the heart.
Venules leaving the capillary bed reconnect to form veins.
What is the main vein?
Vena cava, which carries slow-moving blood at low pressure back to the right atria (largely against gravity).
What is the structure of veins and venules?
They have a small layer of smooth muscle, allowing them to venodilate and venoconstrict to maintain the slow flow of blood towards the heart.
Veins have one-way pocket valves, which prevent back-flow of blood as it travels against gravity.
What are the 5 mechanisms of venous return?
- Pocket valves - one-way valves located in the veins which prevent backflow of blood.
- Smooth muscle - the layer of smooth muscle in the vein wall venoconstricts to create venomotor tone which aids the movement of blood.
- Gravity - blood from the upper body , above the heart, is helped to return by gravity.
- Muscle pump - during exercise, skeletal muscles contract, compressing the veins located between them, squeezing the blood back to the heart.
- Respiratory pump - During inspiration and expiration, a pressure difference between the thoracic and abdominal cavity is created, squeezing the blood back to the heart. As exercise increases respiratory rate, the respiratory pump is maximised.
What is the definition of inspiration?
Drawing of air into the lungs
What is the definition of expiration ?
Expelling of air from the lungs
What is the definition of blood pooling?
Accumulation of blood in the veins due to gravitational pull and lack of venous return.