Cardiovascular Physiology 1 Flashcards
What effect does hyperkalaemia have on cardiac output?
Negative ionotropic effect
What effect does SVR have on cardiac output?
Decreases cardiac output through increasing afterload
When is aortic blood flow lowest?
Start of diastole
When is aortic pressure highest?
Mid systole
How much can atrial contraction account for ventricular filling?
At rest it is normally closer to 20%, but increases to as much as 40% with tachycardia.
When does the QRS complex occur in the cardiac cycle?
The QRS complex occurs immediately before isovolumetric contraction.
What are the body’s responses to acute haemorrhage?
- increased ADH secretion
- initially increased sympathetic activity but when blood volume is critically depleted, peripheral sympathetic drive falls steeply
- reduced baroreceptor discharge
- increased glucagon release
- reduced hydrostatic capillary pressure causes fluid to enter capillaries from the interstitium
How much does PVR fall at birth?
By >80%
WHy does SVR of the neonate increase after birth?
Intense vasoconstriction of umbilical vessels
Why does left atrial pressure rise after birth in the neonate?
Due to increased pulmonary blood flow
When should the ductus arteriosus close by?
48hrs.
High PaO2 appears to initiate closure.
Prostaglandins maintain patency.
When does the foramen ovale fuse?
48hrs after birth
What factors increase movement of fluid out of capillaries?
- increased capillary hydrostatic pressure
- increased interstitial colloid osmotic pressure
- reduced interstitial hydrostatic pressure
- reduced colloid osmotic pressure
What wave is caused by atrial filling during ventricular systole?
The v-wave
What would elevate the a-wave?
Tricuspid stenosis
What are canon waves?
Large a-waves corresponding to atrial contraction against a closed tricuspid valve.
Seen in complete heart block or junctional arrhythmias
Why are cardiac ventricular muscle cells impermeable to negatively charged ions?
These include proteins, sulphates and phosphates which thus remain intracellularly and contribute to the negative RMP.
How long does the depolarization plateau potential last for in cardiac ventricular muscles?
About 200ms.
Due to Calcium influx via slow L-type calcium channels
How much does hypoxia increase coronary blood flow by?
2-3 fold
What % of cardiac output is coronary blood flow at rest?
5%
250ml/min
How is coronary blood flow regulated?
Aortic pressure provides the main driving force for coronary blood flow and this pressure is controlled by baroreceptor reflexes
How long does transmission through the atrium and AV node to the ventricular myocardium take?
0.2 ms
What is the preferential route of transmission from right to left atrium?
Via Bachmann’s bundle
(aka anterior interatrial band)
What allows the myocardium to contract as a single unit?
Gap junctions located at the intercalated disc and allow electrical impulses to propagate freely.
At the onset of the Valsalva manouvre, what happens?
Arterial pressure rises due to increased intrathoracic pressure on the aorta
After the initial rise in BP, what happens in the valsalva manoevre?
The BP then falls due to effects of raised intrathoracic pressure on venous return.
This ismore pronounced in the hypovolaemic.
What are heart rate changes mediated by in the valsalva manoeuvre?
Pressure changes are detected by BAROreceptors
What would cause an abset bradycardia after termination of the valsalva?
Autonomic neuropathy will result in absense of HR changes, but this would only be seen in 20% of long standing diabetics.