Cardiovascular Flashcards
How are the AV valves attached to the heart?
Chordae tendinea attach valves to the papillary muscle
How do semilunar valves close?
Pressure gradient caused by blood being pushed back following contraction
Describe the steps of the cardiac cycle?
Atrial Systole begins
Atrial Systole ends, atrial diastole begins
Ventricular systole first phase (AV valves pushed closed by ventricular contraction- contraction not strong enough to open semilunar though)
(Isovolumetric contraction)
Ventricular systole second phase (pressure of ventricle exceeds arteries, causing semilunar valves open -> blood ejected)
Ventricular diastole early (Ventricles begin to relax, ventricular pressure drops, semilunar valves close due to backflow)
(Isovolumetric relaxation)
Ventricular diastole late (all chambers relaxed, ventricles fill passively)
When does isovolumetric relaxation and contraction occur?
Contraction- between atrial systole ending/ diastole beginning and ventricular systole first phase starting
Relaxation- at the start of ventricular diastole
When do the valves open and close?
Semilunars open- when ventricular pressure exceeds aortic pressure
Semilunars close- when aortic pressure exceeds ventricular pressure
AV valves open- when ventricular pressure has dropped and is equivalent to atrial pressure
AV valves close- when ventricles begin contraction
What is inotropy and how does positive/negative inotropy impact stroke volume?
Contractile capability of the heart itself- how contractile the cells are
Positive- greater response of contraction (would increase stroke volume)
What is the equation for cardiac output?
Stroke volume x Heart Rate
What is the equation for blood pressure?
Cardiac Output x Peripheral Vascular Resistance
What do cardiac contractile units look like?
Arranged linearly using intercalated discs
Contain a lot of mitochondria
Arranged in parallel with each other to enhance contraction efficiency
What is the resting membrane potential of cardiac myocyte cells?
Around -80mV
What is the general concentration of K, Ca and Na in cardiac cells?
High K intracellular concentration
Low intracellular Ca and Na
What is the plateau phase and what causes it
Equal flow of ions in and out of cardiac cells
What are the steps of cellular action potential of triggering contraction of cardiac myocyte cells?
Phase 0- Opening of voltage gated Na channels allowing for inward Na current. Rapid depolarization Phase 1 (notch)- Activation of outward K causing initial repolarization Phase 2 (plateau)- Balance of inward Ca and outward K flow- Plateau phase Phase 3- Repolarization phase, outward K predominates Phase 4- Resting action potential
Do SA node cells ever reach resting membrane potential?
No, always active
Similar in AV node
What is the back-up mechanism set up by the cells in the heart?
SA Node has constant slow depolarization with spontaneous depolarization.
AV node has this too but it is spontaneously active at a lower rate (intrinsically active in case something happens to the SA node)
Pirkinjes do this too
How does calcium levels relate to action potential and contraction of the heart?
Action Potential depolarization causes increase in intracellular calcium transient, this allows for calcium binding to troponin, and binding of myosin to actin causing contraction
Describe the movement of Calcium during the Ca induced Ca release.
L type calcium channels open (due to depolarization), allowing more calcium influx from T-tubule.
Ca reaches sarcoplasmic reticulum. Ryanodine Receptor on SR sense incoming of calcium through L-type calcium channel following action potential, and will then allow calcium release from SR.
What is the L-type calcium channel?
Voltage gated calcium channel that allows inward flow of calcium once action potential initiates its opening
What causes relaxation of cardiac cells (related to calcium) following contraction?
Pump on SR pumps calcium into SR to store
Calcium exchanger moves calcium out of cells
Lack of intracellular calcium causes blocking of actin from myosin via troponin re-binding
What exchanger(s) moves calcium out of cardiac cells?
Ca-Na exchanger: Moves 3 Na into cell in exchange for 1 Ca out
ATP pumps: Used to move Ca out.
K-Na Pump: used to exchange 3 intracellular Na out, for 2 K, helping to control ion levels
Where do the coronary arteries stem from?
Aortic sinus
When does coronary flow occur?
During ventricular diastole
Aortic Valve shuts, pressure in ventricle falls, there is now a pressure gradient- higher pressure in aorta, and lower in ventricular muscle allowing for coronary flow (blood will flow backwards in aorta due to the higher aortic pressure and blood will flow down to coronary arteries)
What structure makes up the inferior, superior, right, and left border of the heart?
Inferior-Right ventricle
Right- right atrium
Left- Left ventricular wall
Superior- great vessels, part of left and right atrium
What is occurring within the heart between the lub-dub?
Ventricular systole is beginning and ending during this period
Ventricular pressure is high, aortic pressure is high
What do the lub-dub noises during auscultation represent?
Lub- Closure of AV valves
Dub- Closure of semilunar valves
When does the radial pulse occur while auscultation?
During the 1st and 2nd lub-dub
Where would you listen for the aortic valve?
2nd-3rd right intercostal space
Where would you listen for the pulmonic valve?
2nd-3rd left intercostal space, adjacent to the sternum
Where would you listen for the mitral valve?
Midclavicular line at the 4-5th intercostal space on left side.
Where would you listen for the tricuspid valve?
Left sternal border towards the apical level of the heart (4th 5th intercostal space)
What does Jugular Venous Pressure determine?
Atrial pressure
What cardiac diseases impact the mechanics of the heart?
Cardiomyopathy
Valvular Disease
What cardiac diseases impact the electricity of the heart?
Arrhythmias
Conduction System Disease
What cardiac diseases impact the blood supply of the heart?
Coronary Heart Disease
When examining a patient for cardiovascular check-ups, what can be observed in the hand/feet and what could this indicate?
Nail Beds: Splinter Haemorrhages (infective endocarditis)
Osler nodes: Found typically on toes and fingers (subacute endocarditis)
Janeway Lesions: Red, painless lesions on palms/soles caused by septic microemboli (could indicate acute endocarditis)
Peripheral Cyanosis: COPD, heart failure, abnormal haemoglobin, local vasoconstriction (cold environment)
Clubbing: Loss of nail bed angle (lung cancer, pulmonary fibrosis, atrial myxoma (non-cancerous tumour), congenital cyanotic heart disease)
Tendon Xanthomas: subcutaneous nodules (hyperlipidaemia/cholesterolemia)
Pallor: anaemia, low cardiac output states, peripheral vasoconstriction during shock
What are signs of endocarditis?
Splinter Haemorrhages
Osler nodes
Janeway Lesions
When checking radial pulse, what are you looking for, and what can variations of these indicate?
Rate
Rhythm: regular, regularly irregular (i.e. regular dropped beat in 2nd degree blockage), irregularly irregular (atrial fibrillation, ectopic beats)
Volume: weak (shock), strong (anaemia, fever, hyperthyroidism)
Character: Regular rise with quick collapse (aortic regurgitation), slow to rise (aortic stenosis)
When examining the heart, what can evaluation of the eyes indicate?
Conjunctival Pallor: Anaemia
Xanthelasma: Hypercholesterolemia (cholesterol deposit under skin around the eyes - typically congenital)
Corneal Arcus: Hypercholesterolemia / hypertriglyceridemia (milky-blue deposit around cornea)
When examining the heart, what can evaluation of the mouth indicate?
High arches palate: May indicate Marfan’s Syndrome
Central cyanosis: blue-ish tongue/ mucous membranes due to hypoxaemia (pulmonary embolism, congenital cyanotic heart disease)
What can a visual presence of jugular ventricular pressure pulse indicate, and how does it look??
Can indicate heart failure, valvular disease (tricuspid regurgitation (often have very noticeable pulse), heart block (see cannon waves)
Double pulsation, not palpable, changes with respiration/position changes, pulse can be stopped with pressure
What waves are observed when examining a visible JVP pulse?
A and V
Where is the JVP pulsation observed (if visible)?
Between two head of sternocleidomastoid, immediately superior to clavicle
What is phenylephrine and what does it do?
Agonist of alpha 1 receptors on vessels driving vasoconstriction
This is used as a nasal decongestant (as constriction to nasal cavity reduces congestion)
What role does oestrogen play in vessel constriction?
It is a vasodilator and hypotensive.
This relates to why female BP rises following menopause
Do systolic pressure differ in men and women?
Yes, women’s are lower up until about 65 when it slowly overtakes men
What is normal structure of a vessel and what is found in each layer? Start most superficial.
Perivascular fat
Tunica adventitia- nerves, macrophages, fibroblasts , stem cells, elastin, collagen.
Media- smooth muscle cells
Intima- Endothelial cells
How do endothelial cells within the tunica intima communicate with smooth muscles cells within the tunica media?
Via small whole in the internal elastic lamina
This layer separates the intima and media
The wholes can shrink with hypertension
What happens to vessel walls with hypertension and why?
Vessel increases in length because smooth muscle cells are arranged in helical fashion, perpendicular to axis of flow (like spring)
Vascular remodelling– increased lumen to media ratio, media gets thicker, lumen gets thinner (this increases resistance)
What impacts flow the most, radius or length?
Radius have largest impact on flow
What is inward and outward vessel remodelling?
Inward- narrowing of vessel lumen
Outward- widening of vessel
How can vessel wall change in terms of thickness?
Hypertrophic- vessel gets thicker
Eutrophic- no change in vessel thickness
Hypotrophic- thinning of vessel wall
Why is patient compliance so important in terms of hypertension?
Drugs will reduce pressure for patients, and they will start to feel normal and not want to continue meds.
However, vessels have undergone remodelling and will go back to hypertensive state.
What role does angiotensin 2 play in terms of tunica media?
Vasoconstrictor
Increased in those with hypertension
Growth factor that causes muscle cells to proliferate and migrate
What drugs are best in terms of reversing remodelling changes caused by hypertension?
ACE inhibitors like perindopril
Why does remodelling of vessels occur due to hypertension?
When you have high BP your vessels remodel to accommodate the increased pressure and protect downstream organs
What do sympathetic nerves release from their axons and what does it act on?
Noradrenaline neurotransmitter acts on alpha and beta receptors
What is a baroreceptor and where are they?
Found at carotid sinus and aortic arch
They are sensors that detect stretch in vessels and signal to brain the amount of pressure present in the vessel
How can you reduce blood pressure using the sympathetic nervous system?
Reduce heart rate
Reduce resistance via vascular tone using reduced sympathetic input/drive
Where do the majority of nerves act within vessels?
Tunica adventitia border with media
What neurotransmitters act on smooth muscle cells of vessels, and what are their receptors?
Noradrenaline- alpha 1 adrenergic (GCPR)
Neuropeptide Y- Y receptors
ATP- Purinergic Receptor- P2x (ligand-gated ion channel)
Called sympathetic triad
What is the name for the lattice network innervating the smooth muscle cells of vessels?
Sympathetic triad (NA, NPY, ATP neurotransmitters) -allows for fine regulation of contraction of smooth muscle cells.
What are the nerve-mediated response components to vessel contraction?
Purinergic - by ATP neurotransmitter
Adrenergic- Noradrenaline
How can you boost contraction in a vessel in relation to the sympathetic triad?
A little release of neuropeptide Y will boos the action of ATP and Noradrenaline neurotransmitters on the vessel smooth muscle cells.
How does neuropeptide uptake occur within varicosities?
The uptake of neuropeptides is determined by the neuron/recipient at that given synaptic bouton.
Peptide will cycle round the varicosities
How does noradrenaline release and uptake occur?
Dopamine is taken up into vesicle where dopamine beta hydroxylase converts it to noradrenaline.
NA is released by vesicle and will stimulate a1 receptors of recipient nerve/cell.
NA also binds a2 receptors on the axon releasing it, causing negative feedback loop (pre-junctional autoinhibition)
What is the U1 uptake mechanism and what is its purpose?
Uptake 1 regulates concentration on Noradrenaline in synaptic cleft, and will uptake NA back into releasing nerve if there is too much.
Can fat impact contraction of a vessel?
Yes, but it is not fully understood how
How do sensory nerves relate to smooth muscle cell innervation in vessels?
Perhaps sensory nerves have some transmitters impacting surrounding fat and smooth muscle cells
What happens prior to the P wave of an ECG?
Impulse formation in SA node- does not appear on ECG
What happens at the P wave on an ECG?
Depolarization of atrial muscle
What happens at the delay point on an ECG?
This is priming event to fill the ventricles.
What happens at just prior to the QRS phase on an ECG in terms of action potentials?
AV node signal conducts down bundle of his to left and right branches along septum.
Conduction through purkinje fibres, and first deflections of QRS are seen.
What happens at the QRS phase on an ECG?
Ventricular depolarization and atrial repolarization
What happens at the ST segment on an ECG?
Inward calcium and outward K currents are balanced and produce plateau in action potential, reflected in ECG following QRS phase.
What happens at the T wave on an ECG?
Ventricular repolarization
Much slower than QRS
What is an ECG lead?
An electrical vector
Its a view point of the heart- not the wires connecting to the patient