Cardiovasclar System Flashcards
Where is the heart located?
It is located in the middle of the chest and slightly towards the left
How big is the heart?
If you clench your hand into a fist, this is the same size as your heart
What is a heart?
The heart is a large muscular pump and is divided into two halves - the right-hand side and the left-hand side.
What is the function of the right hand side of the heart?
The right-hand side of the heart is responsible for pumping deoxygenated blood to the lungs
What is the function of the left hand side of the heart?
The left-hand side pumps oxygenated blood around the body
What is the function of the atrium?
The atria (plural of atrium) are where the blood collects when it enters the heart
What is the function of the ventricles?
The ventricles pump the blood out of the heart to the lungs or around the body
What is the function of the septum?
The septum separates the right-hand and left-hand side of the heart
What is the function of the tricuspid valve?
The tricuspid valve is located between the right atrium and right ventricle and opens due to a build-up of pressure in the right atrium
What is the function of the bicuspid valve?
The bicuspid valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle and likewise opens due to a build-up of pressure, this time in the left atrium
What is the function of the semilunar valves?
The semilunar valves stop the back flow of blood into the heart
Name the four main blood vessels
Aorta
Vena cava
Pulmonary artery
Pulmonary vein
What is the function of the aorta?
The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It carries oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle to the body
What is the function vein cava?
The vena cava is the largest vein in the body. It carries deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart
What is function of pulmonary artery?
The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle to the lungs
What is function of pulmonary vein?
The pulmonary vein returns oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart
What do arteries carry?
Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart (except for the pulmonary artery which carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle to the lungs)
What are the four main function of the cardiovascular system?
Deliver oxygen and nutrients to the body
Remove the waste products such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid
Protection against disease and infection
Maintain body temperature
What is blood pressure?
When the heart contracts it pushes blood into blood vessels which creates blood pressure
A blood pressure reading consists of two values, what are they and what do they mean?
Systolic value – blood pressure while the heart is squeezing
Diastolic value – blood pressure while the heart is relaxing
What is the average blood pressure for an adult?
The average blood pressure for an adult is 120/80 mmHg
The first number is the systolic value and the second number is the diastolic value
What is blood pressure determined by?
Blood pressure is determined by Q (cardiac output) and the resistance to the blood flow (R)
What is resistance to blood flow caused by?
Resistance to blood flow is caused both by the diameter of the blood vessels and by the thickness of the blood
What is atherosclerosis?
Plaque in the arteries, their resistance to blood flow will increase and so will blood pressure
Why is this so bad?
This can have serious health implications such as causing chronic high blood pressure, angina or even heart attack or stroke
What is heart rate?
Heart rate (HR) is the number of times the heart beats (or the ventricles pump blood out) in one minute. The average resting HR is approximately 70 beats per minute (bpm)
What is stroke volume?
Stroke volume (SV) is the amount of blood pumped out of the ventricles each time they contract. The average resting SV is approximately 70 ml
What is cardiac output?
Cardiac output (Q) is the amount of blood pumped from the heart every minute and can be calculated by multiplying heart rate (HR) by stroke volume (SV)
What does this mean?
Q = HR x SV
Cardiac output = Heart rate x Stroke volume
What is heart rate measured by?
Heart rate is measured in beats per minute (bpm)
What happens to the heart rate during exercise?
During exercise the heart rate increases so that sufficient blood is taken to the working muscles to provide them with enough nutrients and oxygen. An increase in heart rate also allows for waste products to be removed.
What is the equation to find maximum heart rate?
Maximum HR = 220 - age
What happens to the stroke volume during exercise?
Stroke volume increases which means more blood is pumped out of the heart each time it contracts.
What happens to the cardiac output during exercise?
At rest a person’s cardiac output is approximately 5 litres per minute, while during exercise it can increase to as much as 30 litres per minute as both their heart rate and stroke volume increase.
What happens to the blood pressure during exercise?
As exercise increases, cardiac output (Q) also increases. This has the effect of increasing blood pressure.
A typical blood pressure reading for a person at the start of exercise would be around 160/85 mmHg
