Cardiovascular System Flashcards
Apex
Pointy part of heart. (inferior region of heart)
Base
Top part (superior) region of the heart.
Pericardium
fluid-filled sac surrounding and protecting your heart.
Atria
upper chambers of the heart that receive blood from the body’s circulatory system.
Ventricles
lower chambers of the heart. Receive blood from Atria and pump to rest of body.
Interatrial septum
thin wall of tissue that separates right and left atria of the heart.
Superior venae cavae
next to the right side of your sternum and goes into your right atrium, where all the oxygen-poor blood goes.
Inferior venae cavae
the major vein that brings oxygen-poor blood from the lower body back to the heart.
Pulmonary arteries
blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood from the right side of your heart to your lungs
Pulmonary veins
blood vessels that carry oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart.
Aorta
the main artery that carries blood away from your heart to the rest of your body.
Atrioventricular valves
The atrioventricular (AV) valves are the mitral and tricuspid valves in the heart that control blood flow between the atria and ventricles.
Bicuspid valves
a congenital heart defect that occurs when the aortic valve has two leaflets instead of three. It’s the most common type of congenital heart defect.
Tricuspid valves
a heart valve that controls blood flow between the right atrium and right ventricle.
Chordae tendineae
connect the atrioventricular valves (tricuspid and mitral), to the papillary muscles within the ventricles
Semilunar valves
permit blood to flow into the arteries from the ventricles and prevent the backward flow of blood from the arteries into the ventricles
Cardiac veins
returns deoxygenated blood (containing metabolic waste products) from the myocardium to the right atrium.
Coronary arteries
Run along the coronary sulcus of the myocardium of the heart. Their main function is to supply blood to the heart.
Coronary sinus
The coronary sinus drains most of the coronary veins that return systemic blood from the heart.
Sinoatrial node
a specialized cluster of muscle fibers located in the right atrium of the heart, responsible for generating electrical impulses that regulate the heart’s rhythm.
Purkinje fibers
specialized nerve cells that transmit electrical signals to the heart’s ventricles, causing them to contract. This contraction propels blood out of the heart to the body.
Pacemaker
a small, battery-powered device that prevents the heart from beating too slowly.
Systole
Contraction Phase. Ejects blood into aorta and pulmonary trunk.
Diastole
Relaxation Phase. chambers fill with blood.
