CVS Flashcards
What affects the rate of diffusion?
Area
Diffusion resistance - Nature of barrier, molecules and distance
Concentration gradient
What do we have a cardiovascular system?
Supplies cells in the body with metabolic needs because simple diffusion would be too slow
What must be kept at an appropriate rate to ensure concentration gradients during diffusion?
Flow of blood else gradients driving exchange will dissipate
How much blood does the cardiovascular system have to deliver?
Between 5 and 25 L/min
Which organs must the blood flow be maintained at a constant rate?
Brain and kidneys
What is the blood flow required to the brain and kidneys?
Brain - 0.75 L/min
Kidneys - 1.2 L/min
What are the components of the circulation?
Pump - heart
Distribution vessels - arteries
Flow control - resistance vessels (arteriolar, pre-capillary sphincters)
Capacitance - store of blood (veins)
What is the role of resistance vessels in the circulation?
Allows for restricted flow to parts of the body that are easily perfused and drives blood to parts that are not easily perfused
E.g. Arteriolar, pre-capillary sphincters
What is the role of capacitance vessels in circulation?
Ability to cope with changes in cardiac output. Stores blood which can be called upon to cope with temporary imbalances
E.g. Veins
What is the difference between elastic arteries and muscular arteries?
Elastic arteries - expand slightly with each heart beat (greater amount of elastic fibres)
Muscular arteries - regulate amount of blood reaching an organ/tissue, regulates blood pressure, branch into arterioles
Describe the flow of structures in the circulation system from heart to capillaries
I.e. The order in which they occur
Large elastic/conducting arteries —> medium muscular/distributing arteries —> arterioles —> metarterioles —> capillaries
Describe the flow of structures in the circulation system from capillaries to heart
I.e. The order in which they occur
Capillaries —> post capillary venules —> venules —> medium veins —> large veins
How is the diameter of arteries and arterioles controlled?
By autonomic nervous system
What are the two types of capillary walls?
Continuous & fenestrated
What can capillaries be surrounded by?
Pericytes - contractile cells
What are sinusoids and where are they found?
Capillaries that have a larger diameter and may contain special lining cells and incomplete basal lamina - increase permeability
Found in liver, spleen, bone marrow
What is the difference in restructure between vein and artery?
Similar structure except that wall is thinner and lumen wider and irregular
Veins contain semilunar paired valves - blood flow in 1 direction
What occurs to the veins if blood pressure is not maintained?
They collapse
What are the two factors that most effect blood flow in veins?
‘Muscle-pump’ action in the leg and pressure factors in the abdominal and thoracic cavities
What are the valves located in the left ventricle?
Tricuspid and pulmonary
What are the two values located in the right ventricle?
Mitral and aortic
What are the six properties of cardiac muscle allow heart to operate as a pump?
Striations Branching Centrally positioned nuclei Intercalated discs - electrical and mechanical coupling with adjacent cells Gap junctions T tubules inline with Z bands
How are action potentials generated in the heart?
Pacemaker cells (SA node) generate electrical activity which leads to activity in other cells
How long is cardiac contraction (systole)?
280ms
What is systole?
Period in which the myocardium is contracting
What is diastole?
Relaxation in-between contractions
How long does diastole last?
700ms
How does atrial systole occur?
SA node fibres an action potential - spreads over atria - atrial systole
What happens at the AV node?
Action potential is delayed for 120ms before spreading down septum
What causes the movement of blood from atrium to ventricle?
Intraventricular pressure falls below atrial pressure - rapid filling phase
How do the atrioventricular valves close?
Build of pressure exerted in ventricles causes slight back flow but blood seeps behind the valve flaps slamming them shut with pressure
How is the muscle in the ventricles organised to facilitate pumping of blood?
Organised into figure of 8 bands
What is the difference between the right and left side of the heart?
Left side has thicker myocardium
Right side has pacemaker cells
Describe isovolumetric contraction
When ventricles contract but there are no values open
What is isovolumetric relaxation?
When ventricles relax before atrioventricular valves open
When do the pulmonary/aortic valves open and close?
Open - when ventricular pressure exceeds diastolic pressure in pulmonary/aortic arteries - systole
Close - when arterial pressure is greater than ventricular pressure, slight back flow - end of systole
When do the tricuspid/mitral valves open and close
Open - atrial pressure greater than ventricular pressure - early diastole
Close - when ventricular pressure exceeds atrial pressure, slight back flow - ventricular systole
What are the origins of the heart sounds?
First sound - AV valves closing - lup
Second sound - semi-lunar valves closing (ventricular-arterial valves) - dup