Cardiovascular Physiology Rapid Review Flashcards
Systole
Heart contracts and blood is ejected
Blood pressure is greatest during systole.
In Ventricular systole, ventricles pump blood to the blood vessels. Atrial systole, atria pump blood into relaxed ventricles
Diastole
Heart relaxes and fills with blood. Blood pressure is lowest during diastole
Pulse Pressure
Difference between the systolic and diastolic pressures
Valves of the heart
Mitral valve - AV valve that prevents backflow from the left ventricle into the left atrium
Tricuspid valve - AV valve that prevents backflow from the right ventricle into the right atrium
Semilunar valves: aortic and pulmonic, prevent blood from flowing back into ventricles during ventricular diastole. Aortic separates left ventricle from aorta. Both valves have three cusps.
Heart sounds
S1 - closure of AV valves
S2 - closure of semilunar valves
S3 - ventricular gallop (early to middle diastole, during rapid ventricular filling)
S4 - Atrial gallop (late diastole, atrial contraction against a stiffened ventricle)
S3 sound
Ventricular gallop, may be caused by a sudden limitation of ventricular expansion. Normal in children and young adults, but may be caused by rapid ventricular expansion associated with regurgitation of blood across an incompetent valve, which increases the rate of ventricular filling during diastole (in adults; aortic regurgitation)
S4 sound
Heard in late diastole, caused by atrial contraction against a stiffened ventricle. Indicates cardiac disease. Indicated decreased ventricular compliance (the ventricle does not relax as easily) which is commonly associated with ventricular hypertrophy or scarring. An S4 is almost always present after an acute MI.
Describe ventricular pressure changes
Ventricular pressure gradually increases in volume during diastole, which causes the ventricular pressure to increase
Atrial contraction causes a slight “hump” before systole in the final phase of ventricular filling.
The AV valves close when systole begins and the ventricular pressure is greater than the atrial pressure.
Isovolumetric contraction - Pressure continually builds until the ventricular pressure exceeds that of the aorta or the pulmonary artery.
The semilunar valves open.
Blood is ejected into the circulation.
Semilunar valves close when the pressure inside the ventricles is less than that of the aorta and pulmonary artery.
Isovolumetric Relaxation - Pressure decreases (same volume of blood, muscle relaxes)
When interventricular pressure is less than atrial pressures, AV valves open again, and ventricular filling of diastole begins.
Cardiac Output
Volume of blood pumped out of the heart each minute.
Product of heart rate and stroke volume.
Used to assess cardiac performance
5 L/minute in healthy adult (70 Bpm * 70 mL/beat)
Can also be measured using whole body oxygen consumption
Fick Principle
Oxygen consumption by the body is a functino of the amount of blood delivered to the tissues (cardiac output, CO) and the amount of oxygen extracted by the tissues (arteriovenous oxygen difference):
CO = oxygen consumption / (oxygen concentration in arteries - oxygen concentration in veins)
Stroke Volume
Volume of blood ejected from the ventricle during ventricular systole
Determines Pulse Pressure
SV = EDV (End diastolic volume) - ESV (End systolic volume)
Ejection Fraction
Percentage of blood in the ventricle at the end of diastole that is pumped into the circulation with each heartbeat.
SV (stroke volume) / EDV (End diastolic volume)
Determinants of Stroke Volume
Preload, Contractility, and Afterload
Preload
Degree of tension (load) on the ventricular muscle when it begins to contract (Volume of blood within the ventricle at the end of diastole) (venous return)
Frank-Starling relationship
Length-tension relationship of the heart theory
Increased ventricular wall tension associated with increased EDV stretches ventricular myocytes and results in a greater overlap of actin and myosin filaments, which causes more forceful contractions
Second theory of why an increased EDV increases SV
The contractile apparatus of cardiac myocytes becomes more sensitive to cytoplasmic calcium as the myocytes are stretched under conditions associated with increased preload
Contractility
Measure of the forcefulness of contractions at any given preload (independent of myocardial wall tension at EDV)
Inotropic state of the heart
(Drugs, sympathetic excitation, and heart disease may affect contractility)
What affects contractility?
Drugs, sympathetic excitation, and heart disease
Afterload
The pressure or resistance against which the ventricles must pump blood (including systemic blood pressure) and any obstruction to outflow from the ventricle (such as stenotic aortic valve
If Afterload increases, SV ____.
decreases
Laplace equation
Rho = P x r / 2h, where rho = wall tension, P = intraluminal pressure, r = intraluminal radius, and h = wall thickness
Stroke work
Measure of the mechanical work performed by the ventricle with each contraction
Composed of Pressure-volume work and Kinetic energy work
Pressure-volume work
work used to push the SV into the high-pressure arterial system and is equal to the systemic arterial pressure multiplied by the SV
Kinetic energy work
Supplied by ventricular contraction that is used to move the ejected blood at a certain velocity
Increased venous return _____ preload.
Increases
Venodilator examples
What is the effect?
Nitroglycerine, isorbide dinitrate
They lower venous return and right atrial pressure.
What increases venous return?
Exercise and venoconstriction
Effect of inspiration on pressures in the heart
Increases venous return (increases abdominal pressure and decreases inteathiracic pressure, increases venous pressure gradient)
Additional: P2 happens after A2 because it takes longer to eject the increased volume of blood in the right atrium (split S2 sound)
What would cause a wide S2 split?
Pulmonic stenosis
What would cause a constant S2 split? ( regardless of inspiration?)
Atrial septal defect
What would cause splitting without inspiration (and maybe no splitting with)?
Aortic stenosis
What are the four phases of the ventricular pressure-volume loops?
Phase I: ventricular filling in diastole. (Opening of the mitral valve and the beginning of ventricular filling)
Phase II: Isovolumetric contraction (onset if systole and closure of the mitral valve)
Phase III: ejection period (aortic valve opens, (pressure in the left ventricle exceeds those in the aorta), then aortic valve closes when pressure in aorta > left ventricle)
Phase IV: isovolumetric relaxation (immediately after closure of aortic valve, but no blood is flowing into the ventricle from the ateia because the pressure in the atria still exceeds the pressures in the atria. Ventricular volume dows not change. Then AV valves open in phase I.)
What are the atrial pressure changes during the cardiac cycle?
Slight pressure increase (a wave) caused by atrial contraction.
Large pressure increase (c wave) caused by isovolumetric ventricular contraction and inward bulging of the AV valves.
Rapid reduction in pressure (x descent) caused by initiation of the ventricular ejection phase (“vacuum effect”)
Gradual pressure increase (v wave) caused by atrial filling (after closure of the AV valves)
Gradual pressure decrease (y descent) caused by ventricular filling after opening of the AV valves.
What is a Swan-Ganz catheter?
It evaluates left atrial pressure. The catheter is inserted into a peripheral vein and threaded through the venous circulation until it becomes wedged in one of the small branches of the pulmonary artery
Effects of Aortic Stenosis
Increase in afterload, which decreases the stroke volume and decreases the cardiac output.
There is increased interventricular pressure to overcome the significant afterload produced by the stenotic valve.
Parvus et tardus (weak and late)
Sound associated with stenotic aortic valve
systolic ejection murmur
Aortic Regurgitation
Increases the stroke volume but not the effective stroke volume Decreases the cardiac output Increased preload Diastolic pressure reduced Widened pulse pressure
Aortic valve allows backflow into left ventricle
Things that can widen pulse pressure
ionotrophy increases systolic pressure
Aortic regurgitation decreases diastolic pressure
Atrioventricular fistula decreases diastolic pressure
Things that can lead to aortic regurgitation
Ehler’s Danlos syndrome, Marfan Syndrome, endocarditis, syphilitic aortitis
Mitral Stenosis
Increase in left atrial pressure
Increases in pulmonary venous pressure
Hydrostatic pressures in the pulmonary veins and capillaries also become elevated, causing net transudation of fluid into the pulmonary interstitium
Once the left atrial pressure exceeds 30-40 mm Hg, the compensatory capacity of the lymphatics is overwhelmed and fluid begins to accumulate in the lungs
Causes dyspnea and reduced exercise capacity
mitral commissurotomy (mitral valve repair) can treat
Rheumatic fever most common cause of mitral stenosis
Most common cause of mitral stenosis
Rhematic fever
Mitral Regurgitation
Backward flow of blood into left atrium during early systole
Reduced forward flow cardiac output
Elevated left atrial pressures and volumes
Left ventriular volume overload (due to the additional preload imposed on the left ventricle by the addition of the regurgitated blood to the normal venous return)
In actue settings, severe and even fatal pulmonary edema may develop (occurs with rupture of papillary muscle in an MI (of Right coronary artery))
In chronic settings, the left atrium has had time to enlarge and become more compliant and the pulmonary lymphatics have had time to augment their function (caused by ischemic cardiomyopathy); fatigue and weakness, heart-failure-like symptoms
What causes mitral regurgitation?
MI (Right coronary artery)
Ischemic cardiomyopathy
Mitral valve prolapse (asymptomatic)
Sound laminar blood flow makes
none
Reynold’s number
Re = 2rvp/n
Where r = radius of the vessel, v = velocity of flow, p = density of the fluid, and n = viscosity of the fluid
What is coronary blood flow dependent on?
rate of blood flow within the coronary arteries, length of diastole, diastolic perfusion pressure, and vascular resistance of the coronary arteries
Left ventricular blood flow is largely _____ on the length of time spent in diastole. Right ventricular blood flow is largely _____ of the time spent in diastole.
dependent,
independent
(compression of coronary vessels during left ventricular systole)
When will an aortic stenosis murmur occur?
Throughout systole (between S1 and S2)
When will an aortic regurgitation murmur occur?
In early diastole, decreases in intensity throughout diastole
When will a mitral stenosis murmur occur?
Diastole
When will a mitral regurgitation murmur occur?
Throughout systole