7 THE HEART AND BLOOD Flashcards
What is the primary function of the heart?
To beat and pump blood through the body
The heart beats slightly more than once every second, about 100,000 times a day.
How much blood does the heart dispense in an hour?
Around 70 gallons of blood
This amounts to 1,680 gallons in a day.
What are the two phases of a heartbeat called?
Systole and diastole
Systole is when the heart contracts, and diastole is when it relaxes.
What is the difference between systolic and diastolic blood pressure?
Systolic pressure is the highest, diastolic is the lowest
Blood pressure readings are expressed as two numbers, such as 120/80.
What role do valves in the veins play?
Prevent blood from flowing backward
They work alongside muscle contractions in the legs to return blood to the heart.
True or False: Blood pressure is a fixed figure.
False
Blood pressure varies throughout the body and changes throughout the day.
What significant change did the American Heart Association make in 2017 regarding high blood pressure?
Lowered the threshold for hypertension from 140/90 to 130/80
This change resulted in a significant increase in the number of people classified as having high blood pressure.
What is the leading cause of death in the United States?
Heart disease
More than eighty million people suffer from cardiovascular disease.
What distinguishes a heart attack from cardiac arrest?
Heart attack is due to blockage in coronary arteries; cardiac arrest is when the heart stops pumping
Heart attacks can lead to cardiac arrest, but they are not the same condition.
What is bradycardia?
Condition when the heart’s rhythm is too slow
Tachycardia is the opposite condition, where the heart’s rhythm is too fast.
What percentage of blood pumped by the heart goes to the brain?
15 percent
The kidneys receive the greatest amount of blood, at 20 percent.
Fill in the blank: The heart has ______ chambers.
Four chambers
These consist of two atria and two ventricles.
What is the Framingham Heart Study known for?
Identifying major risk factors for heart disease
It began in 1948 and included a diverse group of participants.
What is angor animi?
Anguish of the soul
It refers to a premonition of impending death before a heart failure.
What condition causes sudden deaths among athletes during physical activity?
Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy
It arises from thickening of one of the ventricles.
True or False: Women and men experience heart attacks in the same way.
False
Women are more likely to experience abdominal pain and nausea during a heart attack.
What was the condition of Franklin Delano Roosevelt that raised public awareness of heart disease?
His blood pressure soared to 300/190
His death in 1945 highlighted the severity of heart disease as a public health issue.
What is the average lifespan of a heart in terms of beats?
Approximately 3.5 billion times in a lifetime
This is based on the heart beating slightly more than once every second.
Fill in the blank: The heart weighs less than ______.
A pound
Despite its significant function, the heart is relatively modest in size.
What is the significance of the coronary arteries?
They supply oxygen to the heart muscle
The blood passing through the heart chambers does not nourish the heart itself.
What was the primary purpose of the Framingham study?
To determine the factors that led some people to have heart problems and others to escape them
The study identified major risks for heart disease, including diabetes, smoking, obesity, poor diet, and chronic indolence.
What term is said to have been coined in Framingham?
Risk factor
This term refers to characteristics or conditions that increase the likelihood of developing a disease.
Who was Werner Forssmann?
A young doctor who performed the first catheterization of the heart in 1929
His procedure revolutionized heart surgery despite initially receiving little attention.
What did Forssmann do to prove his catheterization procedure?
He had himself X-rayed to show the catheter in his heart
This act provided visual proof of his groundbreaking work.
