Cardiovascular Function Flashcards
Where is the majority of the blood contained in the systemic component?
Veins (50-60%)
What is the primary force for moving blood around the circuit?
left ventricle
What is the purpose of the arteriolar smooth muscle tone?
modulates resistance, pressure, and flow
T/F Arteriolar constriction occurs everywhere in the body.
False - there is no arteriolar constriction in the CEREBRAL + CORONARY circulations. Here, the perfusion is entirely dependent on BP
What are the 3 main arteries of the heart, and what do they supply?
LAD = anterior wall + anterior septum
LCX = lateral wall of L ventricle
RCA = R ventricle + inferior wall of LV + posterior septum
What supplies the SA/AV Node?
RCA
What is the purpose of the carotid sinus massage?
mechanically generated pressure increases pressure in the vessel. This sends afferent signals to the vagus, which sends efferents to decrease sympathetic discharge to the LV to lower SA/AV node firing. This ultimately lowers systemic BP.
Where are systemic efferents distributed?
blood vessels + heart
What are P cells? What are His purkinje cells?
How are they different in terms of electrical resistance?
P cells = autorhythmic with undifferentiated cell junctions (high electrical resistance).
His-Purkinje cells = fibers that arise from the AV node that distribute to the subendocardial layers of ventricles; connected via gap junctions (low electrical resistance)
Myocardial function is comprised of these two independent functions. What are they and what ions govern these processes?
1) Systolic ventricular function - ability of LV to contract; dependent on Ca INFLUX (ionotropy)
2) Diastolic ventricular function - ability of LV to relax; dependent on Ca EFFLUX (lusitropy)
Myocardial contraction is determined by?
1) preload
2) afterload
3) contractility
What is starling’s law of the heart?
increase in Preload (LV diastolic volume) –> increase in LV fiber tension/shortening –> increase CO/SV
What is preload?
initial length of the myocardial fiber, determines how much tension the fiber has to develop.
What is contractility?
What does it depend on?
How is it modulated?
How can it be improved?
intrinsic components of myocardial contraction that is independent of initial fiber length.
Depends on the rate/amount of intracellular Ca influx.
Can be modulated by + ionotropic agents (ie b-adrenergic agonists/digitalis)
Can be improved by decrease in SVR
What does a vasodilator like adenosine do to contractile performance? What does it modulate to do so?
Adenosine/vasodilator
- > Decrease peripheral arteriolar constriction
- > Decrease SVR + preload
- > increase contractile performance