Cardiovascular Mechanics Flashcards
What are ventricular cells?
100 μm long and 15 μm wide
What are T tubules?
T-tubules (transverse tubules) are finger-like invaginations from the cell surface
How large are T-tubule openings? How far spaced apart are they?
Spaced (approx. 2 μm apart) so that a T-tubule lies alongside each Z-line of every myofibril
Carry surface depolarisation deep into the cell
What makes up cardiac cells?
- Myofibrils (mainly 1)
- Mitochondria (mainly 2)
What is the excitation-contraction coupling in the heart?
- L type Ca2+ channel opens in response to depolarisation Ca2+ enters due to conc gradient
- Some goes to activate myofiliament and most goes to bind to SR Ca2+ release channel
- As a result channel undergoes confrontational change as ligand gated
- Therefore Ca2+ allowed to flow fromm stores into cytosol and bind to myofiliaments
- For relaxation, calcium is pumped back up into SR but SR Ca2+ ATPase and calcium taken up against conc gradient so calcium’s restored in SR, ready to be related for next beat
How do you stop too much calcium as stuff coming in and stuff being stored?
- Exchange system on membrane takes calcium out of cell
- Na+/Ca2+ changer and same amount that enters leaves
- Does not use ATP
What happens as gradually increase cytosolic calcium ?
- More and more force produced
- As more and more myofiliaments activated
- Sigmoidal relationship with calcium intracellular and force production
What is relationship between length-tension and force in cardiac muscle?
- Active force and baseline (passive) force increase as muscle length increase but happens when isometric (no shortening) contraction
- More stretch muscle more force produced up to certain point
- So total force is active and passive force combined
Difference between skeletal and cardiac muscle?
-don’t need calcium outside as calcium causes opening
1. Cardiac muscle is more resistant to reach and less compliant than skeletal muscle
2. Due to properties of the extracellular matrix and cytoskeleton
3 .Only ascending limb of the relation is important for cardiac muscle
-Heart does not get overstretch
What is isometric contraction?
Muscle fibres do not change length but pressures increase in both ventricles
What is isotonic contraction?
Shortening of fibres and blood is ejected from ventricles
What is preload?
-Weight that stretches muscle before it is stimulated to contract
What is after load?
-Weight not apparent to muscle in resting state only encountered when muscle has started to contract
If large load how much shortening?
LESS shortening
What happens to shortening if longer muscle length?
- MORE shortening
- Decrease in sarcomere length, less preload, less stretch potential so less tension so less actin myosin cross bridges so less contraction potential
- If increase in preload, increase in active tension
- If long sarcomere length more active tension