Cardiovascular system Flashcards
How large is your heart?
The size of a clenched fist
Where is the heart located?
In the middle of the chest slightly to the left
What is the right hand side of the heart responsible for?
Pumping deoxygenated blood to the lungs
What is the left hand side of the heart responsible for?
Pumping oxygenated blood to the body
Each side of the heart consists of what?
Atrium and a Ventricle which are connected chambers
The left side of the heart contains what?
Left atrium, left ventricle, bicuspid valve, semilunar valves
The right side of the heart contains what?
Right atrium, right ventricle, tricuspid valve
The centre of the heart contains what?
Septum
What happens in the atria?
The blood collects when it enters the heart.
What happens in the ventricle?
Blood is pumped out of the heart to the lungs or around the body
What does the septum do?
Separate the two sides of the heart
What does the tricuspid valve do? Where is it found?
It is found between the right atrium and right ventricle and opens due to a build up of pressure in the right atrium
What does the bicuspid valve do? Where is it found?
It is located between the left atrium and left ventricle and opens due to a build-up of pressure, in the left atrium.
What does the semilunar valve do? Where is it found?
It stops the back flow of blood into the heart. There is a semilunar valve where the aorta leaves the left ventricle and another where the pulmonary artery leaves the right ventricle.
How many main blood vessels take blood in and out of the heart.
Four
What is the largest artery in the body?
Aorta
What does the aorta carry and where from?
It carries oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle to the body
What is the largest vein in the body?
Vena cava
What does the vena cava carry and where to?
It carries deoxygenated blood to the heart from the body
What does the pulmonary artery carry and where from?
It carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle to the lungs
What does the pulmonary vein carry and where does it return?
It carries oxygenated blood and returns it from the lungs to the heart
What do most arteries carry and where
Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart (except for the pulmonary artery which carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle to the lungs).
What are the four main functions of the cardiovascular system
1) Deliver oxygen and nutrients to the body
2) Remove the waste products such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid
3) Protection against disease and infection
4) Maintain body temperature
What happens when the heart contracts?
Pushes blood into blood vessels which creates blood pressure
What two things do blood pressure readings consist of? And what do they do?
Systolic value (blood pressure while the heart is squeezing) Diastolic value (blood pressure while the heart is relaxing)
What is the average blood pressure of an adult
120/80mmHg- The first number is the systolic value and the second is diastolic value
What is blood pressure determined by?
Q- cardiac output
R- resistance to blood flow
What is R caused by? (R=resistance to blood flow)
The diameter of the blood vessels and the thickness of the blood
What is atherosclerosis?
Plaque in the arteries
What does an increased blood pressure mean?
It can have serious health implications such as causing chronic high blood pressure, angina or even a heart attack or stroke
What is the heart’s function?
To pump blood around the body
How do you measure the heart’s performance?
Measuring how much blood is pumped in and out of the heart each minute. This is called cardiac output.
How do you calculate cardiac output? And what letters stand in their place for the equation?
Heart rate x stroke value=cardiac output
Q=HRxSV
What is heart rate?
The number of times the heart beats or the ventricles pump out blood in one minute.
What is approximate heart rate?
70 BMP (beats per minute)
What is stroke volume?
The amount of blood pumped out of the ventricles each time they contract.
What is the approximate stroke volume?
70ml-90ml
What is cardiac output?
The amount of blood pumped from the heart every minute
What is heart rate measured in?
BPM (beats per minute)
Why does the heart rate increase during exercise?
So that sufficient blood can be taken to the working muscles to provide them with enough nutrients and oxygen
What does an increase in heart rate allow?
Waste products to be removed
How do you work out maximum heart rate?
220-age
What is the maximum HR of a 17 year old?
203BPM
What is the maximum HR of a 43 year old?
177BPM
What happens to your stroke value when you exercise?
It increases as more blood is needed to pump around the body to your muscles
What is the average cardiac output of a person when resting?
5 litres per minute
What is the average cardiac output of a person when exercising?
30 litres per minute
Work out the cardiac output of a person at rest with a heart rate of 70 bpm and a stroke volume of 80 ml
5.6 litres = 5600ml
Compare that to their cardiac output when they are taking part in exercise and their heart rate increases to 200 bpm and stroke volume increases to 120 ml.
24 litres = 2400ml
Work out the cardiac output of a person at rest with a heart rate of 65 bpm and a stroke volume of 72 ml.
4.69 litres = 4690ml
Compare that to their cardiac output when they are taking part in exercise and their heart rate increases to 210 bpm and stroke volume increases to 140 ml.
29.4 litres = 29400ml
What happens to blood pressure during exercise?
It increases as cardiac output has an impact on blood pressure
What would be a typical blood pressure reading?
Around 160/85 mmHg
