cardiovascular system Flashcards
what and where is the heart?
- large organ in the centre of thoracic cavity
what kind of structure does the heart have?
- upside down structure as the base is at the top and the apex is at the bottom
what is the heart surrounded by? why is this important?
- fibrous sac called pericardium which has fluid that provides lubrication
- also anchors heart against diaphragm and spine
what are the atriums?
- top receiving chambers
what are the ventricles?
- bottom part that contracts with force to pump blood around
what is the biggest vein in the body?
- vena cava
what happens when blood arrives via vena cava?
- reaches right atrium which contracts slightly to push blood
- via tricuspid valve to right ventricle
what does the right ventricle do after it receives blood?
- pushes blood through pulmonary valve into pulmonary arteries
what happens after the blood has exited via pulmonary arteries and gone round the lungs?
- comes back via pulmonary veins into left atrium which contracts to push blood through mitral valve to left ventricle
what does the left ventricle do with the blood?
- pushes the blood through aortic valve into aorta
what are the atrioventricular valves?
- separate atrium and ventricle; mitral and tricuspid valves are thick to allow blood to passively pass through
what are the semi- lunar valves?
- pulmonary and aortic valve
- control release of blood as open to allow blood through and close to ensure no backflow
what is cardiac muscle?
- similar to skeletal muscle in terms of its structure but it operates similarly to smooth muscle as act involuntary
what are cardiac muscles controlled by?
- autonomic nervous system
what are the properties of cardiac muscle?
- contains striated muscle fibres
- less and smaller sarcoplasmic reticulum
- highly oxidative
what is the gap junction?
- 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
what does contraction depend on?
- depolarisation
- extracellular calcium ions to activate the receptors to allow more calcium ions in
can tetanic contraction occur in cardiac muscles?
- no because action potentials is almost as long as contraction period
- muscle fibres in refractory period
- always relaxes before another action potential
what is the sinoatrial node?
- can initiate cardiac contraction in absence of any external control as it is myogenic