Cardiac Cycle Flashcards
What are the four major stages of the cardiac cycle
Diastole and the inflow of blood.
The blood volume stays the same and there is isovolumetric contraction.
The outflow of blood phase systole
And then Isovolumetric relaxation for diastole again.
It is isovolumetric because the valves close and the volume stays the same.
How is the cycle initiated
Why do both atria contract together
and what happens after
The P wave occurs and both atria contract together.
Because of fast conduction velocity in the Bachman’s branch.
The blood pressure in the atria increases and blood enters the ventricles which takes 0.1second.
80% of blood flows into the ventricles passively due to gravity and elasticity.
The left atria only contributes to 10% of flow into ventricles. The rest is due to the atrial kick.
After the atria contract their pressure begins to fall and the AV valves shut.
Atrial fibrillation.
The atrial muscles quiver but it doesn’t have a big affect as 80% of blood flow is passive and doesn’t require the atrial muscles.
Phase 1 of the cycle
Ventricles are….
What is the end diastolic pressures and why
The ventricular volumes are maximal (end diastolic volume)
On the left it is 120ml and this represents the ventricular pre load.
LV = 8-12mmHg RV = 3-6mmHg
The RV is smaller so it doesn’t damage the lung capillaries because they are close and very thin.
The alveoli could fill with blood due to many fenestrations and cause a pulmonary oedema (dry drowning)
Phase 2
What are the valves doing and what happens in this phase
What does ventricle contraction trigger
What is the first heart sound
All valves are closed.
This is when there is QRS on the ECG. ventricular depolarisation.
The myocyte muscles will contract.
The rate of pressure development is rapid.
The AV valves close when ventricle pressure exceeds atrial pressure.
Ventricle contraction triggers papillary muscles contraction with their chordate tendinae which are attached to the valves. They stop the AV valves bulging back too far into the atria and becoming incompetent.
Closing of the AV valves is the first heart sound. This sound is normally split because tricuspid closure is slightly after mitral closure.
Phase 3 what happens
C wave
What is the rate of pressure increase in the ventricles determined by
Ventricular pressure rises rapidly without a change in the volume.
The C wave on the graph is due to AV valves bulging back into the atria and causing their pressure to slightly increase due to the volume decrease.
Rate of contraction of the muscle fibres.
Phase 4
What happens and valves
What maximums are achieved
Heart sounds
What happens to the atria
The pressure in the ventricles is sufficient to open the semilunar valves.
The AV valves remain shut.
Blood is pumped out the ventricles as the pressure is higher in the ventricles than the arteries.
Maximum outflow velocity.
Maximum aortic and pulmonary pressure.
No heart sound when healthy valves open.
As the ventricles contract the atria are pulled down and this causes a slight volume increase and pressure decrease. Blood begins to enter the atria from veins and pressure rises again.
What happens after phase 4
Any heart sounds ?
Dicrotic notch and wave
What determines the rate of pressure decline in the ventricles.
Isovolumetric relaxation where the pressure decreases after contraction.
This will cause the semilunar valves to close and give the second heart sound.
There is small backflow of aortic blood into the ventricles causing the dicrotic notch in the graph.
The dicrotic wave is when the aortic pressure increases and then slowly decreases again.
The rate of pressure decline is determined by muscle relaxation rate (lusitrophy). And this relaxation is regulated by the sarcoplasmic reticulum rapidly taking up Ca to stop contraction.
What is the blood called which remains in the ventricles after contraction
End systolic volume
50ml in left ventricle.
What is stroke volume
The difference between the end diastolic volume 120ml
And end systolic volume 50ml.
Which is 70ml.
Phase 6
The ventricles continue to relax until the ventricular pressure falls below the atrial pressure.
Causing the AV valves to rapidly open and the ventricles start to be passively filled again.
A third heart sound
Ventricular filling is normally silent
When a third heart sound is audible it may be because of tensing of chordea tendinea and AV ring during ventricular relaxation and filling.
Picture
Picture
Electrocardiograph =
Electrocardiogram =
Machine
Recording
Where does the impulse spread when it passes through the heart
How can we measure the impulse
To all adjacent tissues surrounding the heart and even to the skin surface.
If electrodes are placed on the skin around the heart we can record the electrical activity on an ECG.