Cardiovascular System Flashcards
Where is the apex of the heart?
The bottom
Where is the base of the heart?
The top
What are the 4 cardiac tissue properties?
Automaticity - Generate own impulses
Excitability - Can respond to appropriate amounts of stimuli to generate an action potential
Conductivity - Can transfer the action potential from muscle cell to muscle cell
Contractility - The ability of the cardiac muscle to generate an electrical signal into mechanical action
What are the 3 layers of the heart?
Endocardium = inner layer
Myocardium = middle layer
Epicardium = outer layer
When auscultating, what is the ‘lub’ noise?
The lub noise is the valves snapping shut
Termed S1 during ventricular systole and S2 during atrial systole
What is Myocarditis?
Can you name some symptoms?
It is an infection of the heart muscle, can occur up to 6 weeks after illness.
Pain can change with position. Can have arrhythmias
Long lasting implications that require a transplant
What is Pericarditis?
Inflammation of the membranes/fluid collection
This prevents electricity passing through the heart
What are the symptoms of Pericarditis?
Mild Pyrexia
CCP that is worse in inspiration + lying flat, can be alleviated by sitting upwards
ECG changes (PR depression, Ischaemia and widespread STE)
What could a drop in BP in suspected Pericarditis mean?
Any drop in BP in suspected pericarditis should be considered a tamponade
What are Osslers nodes, Janeway lesions and Splinter haemorrhages and where are they located?
What do they mean?
They are signs/symptoms of pericarditis in the presence of risk factors - IVDU, Previous occurrence, recent heart valve replacement and symptomatic
Osslers nodes - painful - on fingers/toes
Janeway lesions - palms and soles
Splinter haemorrhages - nails
Define the following terminology:
-Stroke volume
-Heart rate
-Cardiac output
Stroke volume - the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle with each contraction
Heart rate - the number of times a heart beats per minute
Cardiac output = the amount of blood ejected from the heart per minute
What can inhibit blood flow? (3)
Electricity (arrhythmias) - tachy/bradycardias, pacemakers, scar tissue, blocks. fibrillation
Muscle pump (volume and contractility) - hypertrophy, hypovolemia, failure
Malformations - e.g. septum, valves
Does the sympathetic nervous system increase do decrease the heart rate
The sympathetic nervous system increases heart rate
What is the bainbridge reflex?
The reflex and baroreceptor act antagonistically to control the heart rate
The baroreceptor reflex acts to decreased the heart rate when BP increases
The blood volume increases, the bainbridge reflex is dominant
When blood volume decreases, the baroreceptor reflex is dominant
Fluids for bradycardia = increases heart rate
Fluids for tachycardia - may decrease the heart rate
Where do the right/left coronary arteries supply?
The RCA supplies the right atria, it continues to split into the posterior descending (back of both ventricles) and the marginal arteries (front and right ventricle)
The LCA continues to split into the left anterior ending (front of ventricles) and circumflex arteries (left atrium and left ventricle)
