Cardiac Physiology-03 Flashcards
myocardium
responsible for pumping action, striated involuntary muscle, fibers swirl diagonally around the heart in bundles; the heart wrings blood out of the ventricles
functional syncytium
merging cells performing as a unit; those of the heart are joined electrically
myocytes
form a functional syncytium; in b/w adjacent cells, cardiac cells have branching patterns (Y shapes, Z shapes)
intercalated discs
specialized connections between myocardial cells containing gap junctions and desmosomes
desmosomes
help structurally glue adj. myocytes together; so when one contracts the other contracts + are pulling on e/o to transmit force to blood contained within ventricle
gap junctions
each half of a gap junction is formed in one cell and the other; functions to allow ions to move freely b/w these cells to electrically connect them
- when AP is generated within myocyte in apex, AP spreads like propagated wave through each adjacent myocyte up to base of heart
- wave of contraction occurs from apex to base
SA node
back of right atrium, opening for SVC; where pacemaker cells are found constantly depolarizing, stim. resting HR spontaneously, AP spreads as a wave across all myocytes of atrium to spread across L and R atrium
AV node
base of RA, pacemaker cells depolarize slower, wave slows down when AP reaches this point; fewer gap junctions, gives time to allow atria to contract and send blood to ventricles before electrically stimulating ventricles
AV bundles (bundle of His)
straddles fibrous skeleton, allows an electrical signal to go from atria to ventricles
R and L bundle branches
stim. various regions of ventricle to ensure L and R ventricles contract simultaneously
phases of an AP in a ventricular myocyte
depolarization, plateau, repolarization, refractory period
depolarization phase
AP generated by pacemaker cell makes myocyte reach threshold; opening of voltage-gated sodium channels
plateau phase
voltage-gated potassium and calcium channels open (K+ out, Ca2+ in for stim./regulating contraction)
repolarization
when Ca2+ channels close and K+ channels stay open, depolarization back to RMP occurs; also assisted by sodium-potassium KTPase
refractory period
another cardiac AP cannot be generated; always longer than contraction phase b/c heart needs to relax to allow it to fill up
electrocardiogram
a composite record of APs produced by all the heart muscle fibers, detected at the surface of the body, 3 recognizable waves (P, QRS, and T), electrical event precedes mechanical event (takes time for AP to propagate to stim. myocardiocytes to cause them to release CA2+ to contract)
P wave
atrial depolarization
PQ segment
atrial contraction; slowing of AP conduction at AV node (smaller fibers; less gap junctions)
QRS complex
ventricular depolarization (and atrial repolarization); large amplitude due to amount of muscle in ventricles generating larger electrical signal