Cardio - Cardiac Function Flashcards
What are atrial and ventricular contractile muscle fibres similar to?
Skeletal muscle fibres but are structurally different
What other cells are present in the heart?
Specialized excitatory and conductive cardiac cells
What aren’t the specialized cardiac cells good at doing?
Contract very weekly because the contain very dew contractile elements (myofibrils)
What are the specialized cardiac cells good at doing?
They have special properties of self excitability
-they are able to spontaneously generate an AP
Are able to rapidly conduct these impulse to atrial and ventrical muscles
Over all the specialized cells provide what as a whole?
A self excitatory system for the heart to generate impulses and a transmission system for rapid conduction of impulses throughout the heart
Why are the 2 types or myocardial cells?
- Contractile (muscle) cells
2. Specialized nodal and conducting cells
What are the similarities between myocardial contractile cells and skeletal muscle cells?
- Striated banding pattern of cells (caused by thin and thick myofilament arrangements)
- Contain similar contractile proteins (actin+myosin)
- Ca++ released from SR triggers the contraction
What is the difference in myocardial cells compared to skeletal muscle cells?
- Short and branched
- 1/3 of their volume is mitochondria (ATP production)
- Extract 80% of the O2 from the blood that goes by
- Joined by intercalated disks that contain gap junctions
What do the gap junctions at the intercalated disks allow?
Allow the movement of ionic currents (APs) between cells.
-when one contractile cell contracts, so do all the others
What is the difference between skeletal muscle movement and myocardial cell movement?
Skeletal needs neurons to move
Myocardial excites itself to move
What are the main purposes of the nodal and conducting cells?
Contains 4 important contractile proteins
Self excitable: spontaneously generate APs
Rapidly conduct AP through the heart
What are the 2 nodal cells?
Found in the SA node
Found in the AV node
What are the 2 conducting cells?
Bundle of His
Purkinjo fibres
What is the SA node?
The Sinoatrial node is the self excitatory impulse that triggers the heart to beat
-origin
Where is the SA node located?
Upper posterior wall of the RA
What is the normal beats/min?
70 contractions/beats/ min
Do all cardiac cels have the potential to be self excitatory?
Yes, this eventually leads to automatic rhythmic contractions
Why is the SA node the origin of the “heart beat”
Because it has the fastest spontaneous generation fo the action potential compared to all other areas of the heart
-therefore the SA node controls the rate of the heart beat
What is the nickname of the SA node?
The pacemaker
What are the 2 main characteristics of the SA node largely responsible for the self excitability?
- Cells of the SA node have greater permeability fo Na+ and Ca+ compared to other heart cells.
- K+ permeability of the SA node cells decreases (less K+ leaves) during diastole
- both 1 and 2 cause the SA nodal cells to spontaneously depolarize to threshold
SA nodal cells do not contain…..?
RMP because of their properties