Cardiovascular System Flashcards
Describe the cardiovascular system
- includes blood vessels and the heart
- transports blood throughout the body
Describe the lymphatic system
- collects excess extracellular fluid & transports from periphery to venous system
- filters bacteria, viruses, waste products, & other foreign matter
- produces antibodies that help immune system fight infection
Describe the heart
- contracts involuntarily
- is a closed system
- provides pumping force to move blood
- located in the mediastinum of the thoracic cavity to the left of midline
Describe the pulmonary circuit
- transports oxygen depleted blood
- R side of heart > pulmonary artery > lungs > pulmonary vein > L side of heart
Describe the systemic circuit
- transports oxygen risk blood
- from L side of heart > aorta > arteries > capillary beds > veins > superior/inferior vena cava
Describe blood vessels
- veins & arteries are generally paired & run parallel to each other
- arteries move blood away from the heart
- veins move blood back to the heart
- arteries typically contain oxygenated blood & veins deoxygenated blood except in the pulmonary vein & artery
- blood travels through progressively smaller arteries & then back through progressively larger veins
Describe the left and right atria
- receive blood from veins
- thin muscular walls
- pump blood to ventricles
Describe left and right ventricles
- pump blood to lungs and body
- thicker muscular walls (L ventricle has thicker walls then R ventricle)
Purpose of valves
- allow blood flow in one direction
- leading in and out of ventricles
Where are the 2 atrioventricular (AV) valves
- Tricuspid valve is between the right atrium and right ventricle
- Bicuspid valve is between the left atrium and left ventricle
Where are the 2 semilunar (SL) valves
- Pulmonic valve is between the right ventricle and the pulmonary arteries
- Aortic valve is between the left ventricle and the aorta
What is a pulse
- pressure in the artery during systole
What is blood pressure
- how much the blood has contact with the artery walls during systole & diastole
Describe systole
- highest pressure in an artery at the moment of the beat
- pumps blood through the system, 1st sound as the cuff deflates
- contraction phase
Describe diastole
- lowest pressure in an artery between successive beats, when sounds cannot be heard
- relaxation & fill
What regulates blood pressure
- regulated by vasomotor center (medulla oblongata) with input from parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems
Describe the baroreceptor reflex
- mechanism to maintain BP, provides a negative feedback loop
- an increase in BP will result in a decrease in HR to decrease BP
- relies on baroreceptors in aortic arch & carotid sinus to monitor changes & relay to medulla oblongata
When do you hear the Lub sound
- when the ventricles are full the AV valves close (tricuspid & bicuspid)
When do you hear the Dub sound
- when the SL valves (semilunar valves) close to prevent blood from flowing back into ventricles from aorta & pulmonary arteries
Describe the 3rd heart sound
- ventricular gallop
- caused by rapid ventricular filling
- occurs at beginning of diastole after S2
- sound creates a gallop cadence & sounds the “Tennessee” with Lub Dub
- can be normal in youths, trained athletes, and pregnancy
Describe cardiac auscultation
Bell = lower frequency sounds
Diaphragm = higher frequency sounds
High frequency = opening & closing of valves
Low frequency = 3rd & 4th sounds
Mnemonic for cardiac auscultation positions
All = aortic area
People = pulmonic area
Enjoy = erbs point (left sternal border)
Times = tricuspid area
Magazine = mitral area (apex)
Describe murmurs
- whooshing & swishing sounds
- congenital or acquired
- innocent or abnormal
- diastolic, systolic, or continuous
Describe systolic murmurs
- occurs between S1 & S2 during systole (ventricular contraction)
- associated with mechanical systolic & ventricular ejection
- caused by aortic stenosis or pulmonary stenosis
Describe diastolic murmur
- occurs after S2 & before S1 duration occurring during diastole (relaxation)
- all diastolic murmurs imply some alteration of anatomy or function of the cardiovascular structures
- mitral or tricuspid valve stenosis
- caused by aortic and pulmonary valve regurgitation
What are the leading risk factors for cardiovascular disease (CVD)
- hypertension
- high serum cholesterol levels
- smoking
Unmodifiable cardiac risk factors
- age
- gender
- ethnicity
- family history
- type I diabetes
Modifiable cardiac risk factors
- smoking
- hypertension
- high cholesterol (>200 mg/dL)
- obesity
- inactivity
- type II diabetes
- alcohol consumption
Indicators of cardiovascular dysfunction
- chest pain/angina
- palpitations
- dyspnea with exertion
- increase in symptoms with activity
- fatigue
- cough
- dizziness/syncope
- throbbing pain that increases with activity
- edema
- leg pain
- cyanosis
- Rubor on dependency
- poor nail or hair growth
- intermittent claudication (pain with exercise)
- dry shiny skin
- hypertension
- diabetes
- smoking
- physical inactivity
- systolic pressure that does not change with activity or decreases with exercise
