Cardiovascular Physiology Flashcards
Cardiac output at rest
75 bpm x 70 mL = 5 L/min
Cardiac output during exercise
150 bpm x 130 mL = 19.5 L/min
Cardiac reserve
Difference between cardiac output at rest and cardiac output during exercise
Cardiac output equation
CO = SV x HR
Stroke volume
Amount of blood pumped with each heartbeat
Venous return
The volume of blood returning to the heart from the vasculature every minute
Describe how hypertrophy can lead to heart failure in terms of cardiac output
Hypertrophy of the heart means the heart has increased in size and become harder to contract
During rest, cardiac output is normal but during exercise cardiac output has decreased therefore the cardiac reserve has decreased
During exercise more blood is required to be pumped around the systemic circuit but with increased size of the heart this is difficult - supply cannot meet demand
Preload
The degree of stretch that the ventricle can undertake
Afterload
The pressure in the major arteries (especially aorta) resisting the blood being pumped from the left ventricle
Contractility
The amount the heart can contract to expel the blood from the ventricle
3 things that regulate stroke volume
Preload
Afterload
Contractility
Describe how stroke volume can be regulated
Preload - larger degree of stretch in the ventricle allows more blood to pool, stroke volume increases
Afterload - high pressures in the systemic arteries are more difficult to overcome, stroke volume decreases
Contractility - larger force of contractility expels more blood from the ventricle, stroke volume increases
Inotropy
Change in stroke volume
Chronotropy
Change in heart rate
Describe Frank-Starlings law of the heart
The more the heart fills with blood during diastole the greater the force of contraction during systole
Preload is directly proportional to end diastolic volume
End diastolic volume
The amount of blood remaining in the ventricle just before systole begins
End systolic volume
The amount of blood remaining in the ventricle at the end of systole
Describe what happens when the conduction system of the heart becomes out of sync
Slightly out of sync: Decreased contractility
Very out of sync: Arrhythmia
3 steps of cardiac muscle contraction
Depolarisation
Plateau
Repolarisation
Describe how an action potential causes ventricular contraction
Autorhythmic cells in the SA node initiate excitation which causes a wave of depolarisation throughout the myocardium as a result of sodium influx when voltage-gated fast sodium channels open
Influx of calcium ions when voltage-gated slow calcium channels open and efflux of potassium when some potassium channels open causes a plateau or maintained depolarisation
The calcium influx ensures that the action potential lasts almost as long as the contraction of the cell which in turn ensures the unidirectional excitation of the myocardium
Repolarisation of the myocardial cells occurs when the voltage dependent calcium channels close and additional voltage-gated potassium channels open