Cardiovascular System Flashcards
What is part of the cardiovascular system?
- heart
- blood vessels
What does the blood carry?
oxygen and nutrients to cells and aids in eliminating wastes
Where is the heart located?
slightly left of midline/sternum
What is the function of the heart?
pump to move blood throughout the body
What is the endocardium? What is the function?
innermost layer of the heart
- lines the atria and venticles
What is the myocardium?
muscular layer of the heart
What is the pericardium? What is the function?
outermost area
- membrane that surrounds the heart
- secretes pericardial fluid
What are the 4 champers of the heart?
2 atria (upper)
2 ventricles (lower)
What are the valves between the atria and ventricles?
- tricuspid: between right atrium and ventricle
- bicuspid (mitral): between left atrium and ventricle
What are the semilunar valves?
valves between ventricles and arteries
- pulmonary
- aortic
What do arteries do?
carry oxygenated blood away from the heart
What is the function of the aorta?
sends oxygenated blood to the body
What is the function of a vein?
carries deoxygenated blood from the body to the heart
What is the function of the superior vena cava?
brings blood from the head/arms to the heart
What is the function of the inferior vena cava?
brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart
What is the function of capillaries?
- connects arteries to veins
- aid in exchange of oxygen and nutrients between blood and cells
How does the heart’s electrical system control the timing of heartbeat?
by regulating heart rate and heart rhythm
What is heart rate?
number of times your heart beats per minute
What is heart rhythm?
synchronized pumping action of the four heart chambers
What should a steady heart rate be at rest?
60-100 beats per minute
What is the SA node? What is the function?
Sinoatrial node: natural pacemaker of the heart
- right atrium
- sends out electrical pulse to AV node
How does a heartbeat happen?
1) SA node sends electrical impulse
2) atria contract
3) AV node sends impulse to ventricles through the Bundle of His to the bundle branches through the Purkinje fibers
4) ventricles contract
5) repeats
What is the AV node? What is its function?
atrioventricular node: between atria and above ventricles
- sends impulse to the bundle of His
What is the bundle of His? What is its function?
- between ventricles
- right and left bundle branches
- sends impulse to Purkinje fibers
What are Purkinje fibers? What is the function?
lateral walls of ventricles
- ventricles contract
What is systole?
period where chamber is contracting and blood is being ejected
What is diastole?
period of relaxation during which the chamber is filling
What is blood pressure?
force blood exerts on the inner walls of blood vessels
Where is blood pressure high? Low?
highest in arteries
lowest in veins
- rises and falls as ventricles contract and relax
What is systolic pressure?
- systole
- ventricles contract
- blood pressure in arteries is greatest
What is diastolic pressure?
- diastole
- ventricles relax
- blood pressure in arteries is lowest
What factors affect blood pressure?
- cardiac output
- blood volume
- vasoconstriction/vasodilation
- blood viscosity
What is angina?
chest pain
What are the cardiac causes of angina?
- myocardial infarction (heart attack)
- narrowing of coronary arteries
- atherosclerosis: deposition of plaques of fatty material on their inner walls
What are cardiac causes of a heart attack?
- coronary artery blockage
- atherosclerosis
- blood clot
- ischemia: restriction of flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart
What are symptoms of a heart attack?
- squeezing chest pain, radiates to shoulder, arm, neck, jaw
- shortness of breath
- nausea
- sweating
- dizziness
What is hypertension? What are the cardiac causes?
high blood pressure
- narrowing of the arteries
What are the cardiac causes of coronary artery disease?
- buildup of fat and cholesterol in the arteries
- ischemia: restriction of the flow of oxygen-rich blood to the heart
What are the risk factors of hypertension?
- obesity
- smoking
- kidney disease
- excessive alcohol intake
What are the risk factors of coronary artery disease?
- high fat diet
- smoking
- obesity
- sedentary lifestyle
What is an aneurysm?
bulge/ballooning in the wall of an artery
What are cardiac causes of an aneurysm?
atherosclerosis
What are risk factors of an aneurysm?
- obesity
- smoking
- high cholesterol diet
What is congestive heart failure?
heart doesn’t pump blood as efficiently as it should
What are cardiac causes of congestive heart failure?
- hypertension
- previous heart attack
What are risk factors of congestive heart failure?
- high fat diet
- smoking
- obesity
- sedentary lifestyle
What is thrombophlebitis?
blood clot forms blocking veins in usually the legs
What are risk factors of thrombophlebitis?
- prolonged periods of inactivity
- hormone replacement therapy
- cancer
- paralysis
What is mitral valve prolapse?
mitral valve doesn’t close smoothly or evenly
- causes backflow of blood
What are cardiac causes of mitral valve prolapse?
- unknown
- hereditary
What are symptoms of mitral valve prolapse?
- none
- shortness of breath
- palpitations
