Chapter 9 - Guyton Flashcards
The ventricles then supply the main
pumping force that propels the blood either:
1) through the pulmonary circulation by the right ventricle or 2) through the peripheral circulation by the left ventricle
three major types of cardiac muscle:
atrial muscle, ventricular muscle, and specialized excitatory and conductive muscle fibers
cell membranes that separate individual cardiac muscle cells from one another
intercalated discs
syncytium
cardiac cells are so interconnected that when one
of these cells becomes excited, the action potential spreads to all of them, spreading from cell to cell (atrial and ventricular
Resting membrane potential of cardiac muscle is
-85 to -95 mV
After the initial spike, the membrane remains depolarized for about 0.2 second, exhibiting a plateau as shown in the figure, followed at the end of the plateau by abrupt repolarization. What is the significance?
The presence of this plateau (0.2-0.3 s) in the action potential causes ventricular contraction to last as much as 15 times as long in cardiac muscle as in skeletal muscle.
Why does the plateau in cardiac muscle occur?
prolonged period of depolarization through influx of both sodium and calcium, decreased outflow of potassium prevents return to normal resting level
What are the fastest conducting fibers in the heart called?
Purkinje fibers
The normal refractory period of the ventricle is ______ second, which is about the duration of the prolonged plateau action potential.
0.25 to 0.30
Where does the calcium come from that contributes to the strength of the cardiac muscle contraction?
SR and T-tubules (with only SR calcium the contraction would not be strong enough)
What is the significance of mucopolysaccharides?
bind calcium in the T-tubules to keep it available for contractions
The strength of contraction of cardiac muscle
depends to a great extent on the concentration of
calcium ions in the:
extracellular fluid
Each cycle is initiated by spontaneous generation of an action potential in the:
sinus node
P wave
atrial depolarization
QRS complex
ventricular depolarization
T wave
ventricular repolarization
If the atria fail to function, why might the person not notice?
the heart can continue to operate under most conditions even without this extra 20 per cent effectiveness because it normally has the capability of pumping 300-400% more blood than is required by the resting body
a wave
atrial contraction (right and left atrial pressure increases)