Cardiovascular System Flashcards
Transports oxygenated blood to the rest of the body
Aorta
Explain the role of the Atrioventricular Node (AVN)
Is located between the
atria and the ventricles. It acts as a buffer that slows
down the signal from the SAN. (otherwise the atria and
ventricles would contract at the same time) This allows the
ventricles to fill with blood before contraction.
Explain the increase in both resting and exercising stroke volume
Stroke volume at rest has been shown to be significantly higher after a prolonged endurance-training programme. This allows for more efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients.
Cardiac Hypertrophy helps this by pumping more blood per beat.
Explain capillarisation of skeletal muscle and alveoli in long term training
Exercise increases the capillarisation both around the muscle and alveoli. This means that more oxygen and nutrients can be diffused into the blood from the alveoli and into the muscles.
Long term exercise = increased number of capillaries in the cardiac and skeletal muscle. Increased size and number of blood vessels = increase in blood volume = more efficient delivery of oxygen and nutrients
What is the autonomic nervous system?
Regulates body functions such as breathing and heartbeat
It is involuntary
Can be split further into the Sympathetic and Parasympathetic nervous systems
Describe what Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) is
Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS) is a genetic heart condition that can
cause sudden death in young and otherwise healthy people
It is usually caused by an irregular heart beat (cardiac arrhythmia)
No clear symptoms but can be discovered through cardiac screening
Remember Fabrice Muamba or Christian Eriksen (footballers)
The main function of plasma is
- Is the transport system that carries the other components of the blood. It also carries carbon dioxide.
- It is a straw-coloured liquid that is 90% water
What does the term vasoconstriction mean?
Vasoconstriction narrows the diameter of the blood vessels near the skin.
This reduces the blood flow resulting in an increase in temperature as heat loss is prevented
Transports oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart
Pulmonary Vein
What are the three additional factors affecting the CV system
- Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS)
- High and Low blood Pressure
- Hyperthermia/Hypothermia
Explain the role of the Sinoatrial Node (SAN)
Often called the heart’s
pacemaker and located on the edge of the right atrium. The SAN sends an impulse to the across the atrias causing the muscular walls to contract. The contraction forces blood from the atriums down into the ventricles.
Bottom chamber that holds oxygenated blood
Left Venticle
Describe Hypothermia
Hypothermia is a drop in core body temperature below 35°C
It can occur when you are exposed to cold or cold and wet conditions for a long period of time.
Hypo = Low
The main function of red blood cells are
- Carry oxygen through a protein called haemoglobin
- RBC are disc shaped with a large surface area
- A drop of blood contains millions of red blood cells
Transports deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs
Pulmonary Artery
What are the seven adaptations to the cardiovascular system?
- Cardiac Hypertrophy
- Increase in resting and working stroke volume
- Decrease in resting heart rate
- Reduction in resting blood pressure
- Decrease heart rate recovery time
- Capillarisation of skeletal muscle alveoli
- Increased in blood volume
What is the diastolic blood pressure?
Second number or bottom number and indicates how much pressure your blood is exerting against your artery walls while the heart is resting between beats.
What are the three main parts in the cardiac cycle?
- Sinoatrial Node (SAN)
- Atrioventricular Node (AVN)
- Bundle of His & Purkinje Fibres
Explain the process of removing waste products
As well as providing oxygen and nutrients to all the tissues in the body, the CV system also
carries waste products from the tissues to the kidneys and the liver, also returning CO2 to
the lungs
Explain the fighting infection process
Leucocytes (white blood cells) are produced within the bone marrow. They are then stored in, and transported around the body, by the blood. They can ingest pathogens and destroy them to prevent illness. They also produce antibodies to destroy pathogens and antitoxins to neutralise toxins
What is the main difference between the untrained heart and the trained heart
- An enlarged left ventricle in the trained heart.
- Thicker walls in trained heart.
Explain what happens when we exercise in terms of cardiac output
When we exercise the demand for oxygen increases, therefore
heart rate, stroke volume and cardiac output increase.
Explain Cardiac Hypertrophy…
The enlargement of your heart over a longer period of time. Training will cause the walls of your heart to get thicker. Particularly the wall of the left ventricle, increasing the strength of its contractions
Describe the structure of the arteries
- Carry blood away from the heart to the tissues of the body
- Thick muscular walls
- Elastic walls
- Contains blood under high pressure
- Usually contain oxygenated blood (except pulmonary artery)
- Do NOT contain values
What connects arteries to
capillaries? They have thinner walls and they can change diameter to control the blood to the capillaries.
Arterioles
Deoxygenated blood means
Blood without oxygen (containing carbon dioxide)
A wall that separates the left from the right side of the heart
Septum
What does the term vasodilation mean?
Vasodilation widens the diameter of the blood vessels near the skin
This increases the blood blow resulting in a decrease in temperature as heat is carried to the skin surface
Arteries that supply blood to the heart
Coronary Arteries
Explain the decrease in heart rate recovery time
Because the heart is bigger it can not only pump blood at an
increased rate during exercise it does this after exercise which decreases recovery time removing waste products at a faster rate.
How much your heart rate falls in the first minute after exercise. Fitter individuals with more efficient CV systems will recover more quickly