Cardiovascular Physiology Flashcards
Myocardium
muscle tissue of the heart
Cardiac myocytes
individual cardiac cells
Endocardium
inner tissue layer of the heart
epicardium
outer tissue layers of the heart
pericardium
fibrous sacs that surround the heart
heart chambers
right atrium; right ventricle; left atrium; left ventricle
systole
contraction of the heart; ejection of blood from the chamber, can have atrial systole and ventrical systole
diastole
relaxation of the heart, chamber filling
systolic pressure
pressure within the aorta during systole when blood volumes within the vessel are at their highest
diastolic pressure
pressure within the aorta during diastole when blood volumes are at their lowest
cardiac cycle
1 heart beat
atria
reservoirs for blood; low pressure chambers
ventricles
high pressure pumps for the ejection of blood from the heart to the pulmonaries OR the systemic circulation
myocardial blood supply
- 2 major arteries which branch from the root of the aorta
(i) right corornary artery: supplies right atrium, right ventricle, part of left ventricle
(ii) left coronary artery; supplies left atrium left ventricle - blood returns from the myocardium to the right atrium via;
(i) great cardiav vein drains into the coronary sinus and then into right atrium
(ii) middle cardiac vein
Coronary blood supply to the left side of the heart
- during ventricular systole, extravascular compression of the coronary circulation occurs
- blood flow to the left coronary artery (LCA) is briefly reversed during early systole
- left ventricular myocardial pressure is greatest near the endocardium and lowest near epicardium
- maximal left coronary inflow occurs in early diastole when ventricles relax
coronary blood supply to the right side of heart
- lower pressures during systole
- blood flow reversal does not occure, more coronary inflow during systole than for the left side of the heart, maximum coronary inflow occurs during diastole
AV valves
tricuspid valves= between right atrium and right ventricle
mitral valve= between left atrium (also known as bicuspid valve)
Semilunar valve
-outflow valves= more blood from a ventricle chamber to a vascular structure
aortic valve= between left ventricle and aorta
pulmonic valve= between right ventricle and pulmonary artery
heart sound
S1= closure of the AV valves; should hear this at the end of diastole and start of systole S2= closure of semilunar valves- should hear this at end of systole
Basic cardiac cycle
Right atria + right ventricle = transport of blood to the lungs (deoxygenated blood)
left atria + left ventricle= transport of blood to the rest of the body
electrical activity of the heart
- contraction of the heart = shortening of the cardiac muscle fibres
- contraction is triggered by action potentials
- transmission of the action potentials from cell to cell is via passage of ions through gap junctions
- action potential= brief reversal of membrane potential= a brief reversal in the overall charge inside the cell vs. the overall charge outside the cell
SA node
-sino-atrial node which is the primary pacemaker of the heart
AV node
atrioventricular node, pacemakers for the heart activity
SA and AV nodes
- electrical signals travel from SA node to the AV node down the bundle of His and is split between the left and right bundle branches to the purkinje fibres (these small fibres will send the electrical signals to all the cells of the ventricular myocardium
- if no normal signals travel down from the SA node to the AV node or from the AV node to the ventricles
- some cells in the bundle of His or in the purkinje network can become the pacemaker for the ventricles (ectopic beats)
slow response/pacemaker action potentials
-occurs mainly in the pacemaker cells
-pacemaker potential= slow depolarization with no true resting potential, although a brief period of negative membrane potential (~-50mV) occurs at the start of the depolarization event
-depolarization is initiated by the negative potential resulting in the closure of any K+ ion channels and opening of T-type Ca2+ channels and F-type Na+ ion channels
phase 0= upstroke mediated mainly by the opening of L-type Ca2+ channels
phase 3= rapid repolarization Ca2+ channels close and K+ channels open
phase 4= negative voltage causes the closure of the K=t ion channels, opening the f-type Na+
Fast response/non-pacemaker action potentials
-this occurs in the atrial, ventricular cells and purkinje fibers
-resting membrane potential
is ~-90mV
phase 0= Na+ channels open through relay of signal from the pacemaker cells and adjacent cells resulting in rapid upstroke, as rapid influx of Na+ occurs (as well as leaky K+ channels that tend to be open at the more negative membrane potentials close)
phase 1= as voltages reach 0mV, the voltage gated Na+ channels close and transient outward K+ channels open= partial repolarization
phase 2/plateau phase- L-type Ca2+ channels close and K+ channels open, K+ efflux
phase 4- diastole, resting potential
*for full resting potential to be reached, Na+, K+ and Ca2+ must be restored to their resting concentrations whin and without the cell, accomplished through ATP pumps