cardiovascular system Flashcards

1
Q

what and where is the heart?

A
  • large organ in the centre of thoracic cavity
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2
Q

what kind of structure does the heart have?

A
  • upside down structure as the base is at the top and the apex is at the bottom
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3
Q

what is the heart surrounded by? why is this important?

A
  • fibrous sac called pericardium which has fluid that provides lubrication
  • also anchors heart against diaphragm and spine
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4
Q

what are the atriums?

A
  • top receiving chambers
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5
Q

what are the ventricles?

A
  • bottom part that contracts with force to pump blood around
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6
Q

what is the biggest vein in the body?

A
  • vena cava
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7
Q

what happens when blood arrives via vena cava?

A
  • reaches right atrium which contracts slightly to push blood
  • via tricuspid valve to right ventricle
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8
Q

what does the right ventricle do after it receives blood?

A
  • pushes blood through pulmonary valve into pulmonary arteries
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9
Q

what happens after the blood has exited via pulmonary arteries and gone round the lungs?

A
  • comes back via pulmonary veins into left atrium which contracts to push blood through mitral valve to left ventricle
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10
Q

what does the left ventricle do with the blood?

A
  • pushes the blood through aortic valve into aorta
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11
Q

what are the atrioventricular valves?

A
  • separate atrium and ventricle; mitral and tricuspid valves are thick to allow blood to passively pass through
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12
Q

what are the semi- lunar valves?

A
  • pulmonary and aortic valve
  • control release of blood as open to allow blood through and close to ensure no backflow
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13
Q

what is cardiac muscle?

A
  • similar to skeletal muscle in terms of its structure but it operates similarly to smooth muscle as act involuntary
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14
Q

what are cardiac muscles controlled by?

A
  • autonomic nervous system
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15
Q

what are the properties of cardiac muscle?

A
  • contains striated muscle fibres
  • less and smaller sarcoplasmic reticulum
  • highly oxidative
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16
Q

what is the gap junction?

A
  • electrical and chemical connection between fibres; allows an electrical signal to originate from specialised part of the heart and propagate from fibre in organised pattern
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17
Q

what does contraction depend on?

A
  • depolarisation
  • extracellular calcium ions to activate the receptors to allow more calcium ions in
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18
Q

can tetanic contraction occur in cardiac muscles?

A
  • no because action potentials is almost as long as contraction period
  • muscle fibres in refractory period
  • always relaxes before another action potential
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19
Q

what is the sinoatrial node?

A
  • can initiate cardiac contraction in absence of any external control as it is myogenic
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20
Q

why do SA node cells initiate the action potential?

A
  • due to unstable membrane potential that is continuously drifting towards threshold
21
Q

what does sympathetic stimulation to SA node cause?

A
  • increase in slope of drift due to increase of permeability of Na+ current
22
Q

what does parasympathetic stimulation to SA node cause?

A
  • decrease in slope of drift due to overall decrease of inward current
  • and hyperpolarisation of membrane due to increased K+ permeability
23
Q

what does firing rate depend on?

A
  • initial value of membrane potential
  • on the slope of drift towards threshold
24
Q

how does stimulation spread in atria?

A
  • from fibre to fibre via gap junctions
25
Q

what network allows ventricular stimulation to spread?

A
  • network of conduits
  • begins at atrioventricular node and terminates at cardiac muscle fibres via purknje fibres
26
Q

what is the first step of propagation of electrical signal?

A
  • stimulus spreads through muscle fibres and stimulate both atria almost simultaneously
27
Q

what happens after atria contract?

A
  • AV node delays the electrical signal to allow atria to empty before contraction
28
Q

where does signal travel down?

A
  • interventricular septum via two bundle branches
29
Q

what happens after the impulse travels down septum?

A
  • ventricles begin to contract as stimulus spreads upwards
  • depolarising muscle fibres via purknje fibres
30
Q

what is the tricuspid valve?

A
  • separates right atrium and right ventricle
31
Q

when does tricuspid valve open?

A
  • opens when right atrial pressure is higher than ventricular pressure
32
Q

when does tricuspid valve close?

A
  • when right ventricular pressure is higher than right atrial pressure
33
Q

what is the mitral valve?

A
  • separates the left atrium and left ventricle
34
Q

when does mitral valve open?

A
  • when left atrial pressure is higher than left ventricular pressure
35
Q

when does mitral valve close?

A
  • when left ventricular pressure is greater than left atrial
36
Q

what is the pulmonary valve?

A
  • separates right ventricle and pulmonary artery
37
Q

when does pulmonary valve open?

A
  • when right ventricular pressure is greater than pulmonary artery pressure
38
Q

when does pulmonary valve close?

A
  • when pulmonary artery pressure is greater than right ventricular pressure
39
Q

what is the aortic valve?

A
  • separates left ventricle and aorta
40
Q

when does aortic valve open?

A
  • when left ventricular pressure is greater than aortic pressure
41
Q

when does aortic valve close?

A
  • when aortic pressure is larger than left ventricular pressure
42
Q

what happens to the valves during systole?

A
  • aortic and pulmonary valves open meanwhile AV valves stay closed
43
Q

what is the electrocardiogram?

A
  • graphical representation of the electrical activity across heart
44
Q

what do waves and troughs represent?

A
  • waves= depolarization
  • troughs= repolarization
45
Q

is there a lag in the cardiac cycle?

A
  • lag between depolarization of myocardiocytes and actual contraction of muscles
46
Q

what does P wave represent?

A
  • atria depolarization
47
Q

what is the QRS complex?

A
  • represents ventricular depolarization which causes ventricles to contract
48
Q

what does T wave represent?

A
  • time of ventricular repolarization and subsequent relaxation
49
Q

what is the Frank- starling mechanism?

A
  • heart will pump all the blood that returns to it by way of the veins