Cardiovascular System

Question 1

What does Cardio refer to?

Answer 1

The Heart

Question 2

What does Vascular refer to?

Answer 2

Blood vessels

Question 3

What makes up the cardiovascular system?

Answer 3

heart

vessels

arteries

capillaries

veins

Question 4

What role does the cardiovascular system play in the body?

Answer 4

It supplies oxygen and nutrients to tissues and it removes wastes from them.

Question 5

Describe the heart

Answer 5

Hollow, cone-shaped, muscular pump within the thoracic cavity

The average adult heart is 14cm long and 9cm wide

Question 6

The heart consists of 3 layers, what are they?

Answer 6

Epicardium - Outer protective layer

Myocardium - Muscular layer

Endocardium - A thin inner later

Question 7

What is the epicardium made of?

Answer 7

it is made up of connective tissue and epithelium

It houses blood and lymph capillaries along with coronary arteries.

Question 8

What is the Myocardium made of?

Answer 8

Consists of cardiac muscle and is the thickest layer of the heart wall.

Question 9

What is the endocardium made up of?

Answer 9

It is a thin, smooth layer made up of connective tissue and epithelium.

Question 10

What are do arteries do?

Answer 10

carry blood away from the heart

Question 11

What do veins do?

Answer 11

They carry blood back to the heart.

Question 12

The heart has 4 chambers and 4 valves. What are the 4 chambers called?

Answer 12

The heart has 2 atria on top which receives blood returning to the heart. They have thin walls.

It has 2 ventricles below which pump blood to the body. They have thick-muscled walls

Question 13

What separates the left and right sides of the heart?

Answer 13

The septum divides the atrium and ventricle on each side.

Atrial septum and Ventricular septum

Question 14

What are the valves that separate the atrium from the ventricles called?

Answer 14

atrioventricular (A-V) valves

They ensure one-way flow of blood.

Question 15

What are cusps?

Answer 15

flaps

Question 16

What are chordae tendinae?

Answer 16

“cords” that connect the heart valves to the papillary muscle in the inner heart which contract to prevent (backflow) the flow of blood from the ventricle to the atrium

Question 17

Describe the Right A-V valve

Answer 17

is it a tricuspid (3) valve between the Right Atrium and the Right Ventricle. It is a one-way valve from the atrium to the ventricle.

Question 18

Describe the Left A-V valve.

Answer 18

It is a bicuspid (2) or mitral valve between the left atrium and the left ventricle. It is a one-way valve that allows blood to flow from the atrium to the ventricle.

Question 19

Describe the Right Ventricle

Answer 19

it has a thinner wall than the left ventricle because it must pump blood only as far as the lungs.

Question 20

What is the pulmonary valve?

Answer 20

it is the valve at the trunk of the pulmonary artery. It prevents the backflow of blood into the right ventricle.

Question 21

Describe the left ventricle

Answer 21

It has a thicker wall than the right ventricle because it pumps blood to the entire body.

Question 22

What is the aortic valve?

Answer 22

It is the valve at the trunk of the aorta. It prevents the backflow of blood into the left ventricle.

Question 23

Describe the path of blood through the right side of the heart

Answer 23

Blood low in O₂ returns to the right atrium via the vena cavae and coronary sinus

the right atrium contracts, forcing blood through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle.

The right ventricle contracts, closing the tricuspid valve, and forcing blood through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary trunk and arteries

The pulmonary arteries carry blood to the lungs where it can rid of excess CO₂ and pick up a new supply of O₂

Question 24

Describe the path of blood through the left side of the heart

Answer 24

Freshly oxygenated blood is returned to the left atrium of the heart through the pulmonary vein

The left atrium contracts, forcing blood through the bicuspid valve into the left ventricle

The left ventricle contracts, closing the bicuspid valve and forcing open the aortic valve as blood enters the aorta for distribution to the body

The aorta is the largest blood vessel in mammals

Question 25

How does the heart get its blood supply?

Answer 25

The first branches off the aorta, which carry freshly oxygenated blood are the right and left coronary arteries that feed the heart muscle itself.

The heart muscle requires a continuous supply of freshly oxygenated blood so smaller branches of arteries often have alternate pathways for blood in case one pathway becomes blocked.

Question 26

What do cardiac veins do?

Answer 26

They drain blood away from the heart muscle and carry it to the coronary sinus which empties into the right atrium.

Question 27

Describe the heart sounds

Answer 27

The first sound (lubb) occurs as ventricles contract. A-V valves are closing

The second sound (dubb) occurs as ventricles relax and aortic and pulmonary valves are closing

The sounds are due to vibrations in heart tissues as the blood rapidly changes velocity within the heart.