cardiovascular respiratory system Flashcards
what determines cardiac output?
- heart rate
- stroke volume
stroke volume x heart rate
what is the normal range for heart rate?
60-100 beats per minute (bpm)
what is the heart rate established by?
sinoatrial node (SAN)
what is the sinoatrial node and where is it found?
cluster of pacemaker cells which sits in the right atrium
what is the normal SAN pacing rate?
100 beats per minute
where does the atrioventricular node (AVN) sit?
above the ventricular septum at the junction between the atria and the ventricles
what does the avn do?
pass on the impulse from the atria to the ventricles
what is the delay in AVN conduction and why is this important?
delay of about 0.15 seconds, allowing the atria to finish contracting and the atrioventricular valves to close before the ventricles start to contract – this prevents blood from regurgitating back into the atria during ventricular contraction
what does the autonomic nervous system do to the heart?
induces the force of contraction of the heart and its heart rate, and controls the peripheral resistance of blood vessels
what nerve supplies parasympathetic input to the heart?
vagus nerves
what does a parasympathetic input do to the heart?
decrease in heart and contraction force
what does sympathetic input do to the heart?
increases heart rate and the force of contraction
what are baroreceptors?
located in the carotid sinus and aortic arch and detect changes in stretch and tension in the arterial wall and changes in arterial pressure
what happens if baroreceptors detect an increase in arterial pressure?
the parasympathetic pathway is activated, vagus nerves carry impulses so heart rate is reduced, vasodilation occurs to reduce arterial pressure
what happens if baroreceptors detect an decrease in arterial pressure?
the sympathetic pathway is activated, heart rate is increased and vasoconstriction occurs to increase arterial pressure
what does adrenaline do to heart rate and where is it released from?
increases heart rate
released from the medulla of adrenal glands
what is stroke volume?
the difference between the end diastolic volume (EDV), the volume of blood in the heart at the end of diastole, and the end systolic volume (ESV) the volume remaining in the heart at the end of systole ie the amount of blood that is expelled with each heartbeat
what can affect stroke volume?
- central venous pressure (CVP)
- Total Peripheral Resistance (TPR)
what is the central venous pressure?
blood pressure in the vena cava as it enters the right atrium
what does the central venous pressure reflect?
the volume of blood returning to the heart and therefore the volume of blood the heart pumps back into the arteries
why does an increase in the CVP increase stroke volume up to a certain point?
- more blood enters the heart during diastole, leading to an increase in end diastolic volume (EDV)
- increased filling of the heart leads to increased ventricular contraction and thus a decrease in end systolic volume (ESV), due to Starling’s Law
what is preload?
diastolic filling pressure
what is the total peripheral resistance?
the pressure in the arteries that blood must overcome as it passes through them, and thus dictates how easy it is for the heart to expel blood (afterload)
what is Starling’s Law?
the more the heart chambers fill, the stronger the ventricular contraction, and therefore the greater the stroke volume