CVS Physiology Flashcards
Describe the general function of the heart.
Major function is to service the metabolic needs of tissues
- Provide nutrients, O2
- Remove waste
How is the general function of the heart achieved?
Achieved by ensuring adequate exchange of fluids at the capillaries:
- Sufficient pressure (from heart) & output
- Integrity of vessels (cannot be ruptured/narrowed & must be able to take the bld. pressure)
What is the electrical activity of the heart?
It is the intrinsic electrical network of the heart that ensures coordinated contraction and relaxation.
The heart generates own action potential & contracts intrinsically
How are the autorhythmic cells responsible for the function of the heart?
Autorhythmic cells (aka pacemaker cells) initiate & conduct AP responsible for contraction of working cells
Ensures heart is pumping at a steady rate –> supply nutrients & O2 to all cells/all parts of the body. Ensures wastes in blood is pumped to the respective organs for removal (e.g. lungs, liver, etc)
How is cardiac excitation coordinated for efficient cardiac function?
The pair of atria and the pair of ventricles are fully coordinated.
This ensures that both members of the pair contract simultaneously. This ensures that each heart chamber contracts as a unit to pump efficiently
How can heart rate be controlled by the nervous system?
Heart rate can be controlled by:
Sympathetic NS:
Increases HR
Parasympathetic NS:
Decreases HR
Note that both sympathetic & parasym will be present, just at different amounts (e.g. resting conditions: S and P both active but P predominates)
What does the ECG do?
Record of electrical events in the heart from the surface of the body
Provide info on the cardiac rate, rhythm, pattern of depolarizaation, presence of cardiac ischemia/infarction
How is the 12-lead ECG derived?
Two electrodes placed on the limbs at each time
Each lead forms an axis in the vertical/horizontal plane
Each lead looks at electrical events in the heart from a unique vantage point
How does a normal ECG waveform relate to the events of the cardiac cycle?
In a normal heartbeat:
- P wave: Atrial depolarization
- PR segment: AV nodal delay
- QRS complex: Ventricular depolarization
- ST segment: Ventricles contracting & emptying
- T wave: Ventricular repolarization
- TP segment: Ventricles relaxing & filling
How is homeostasis maintained in the body?
The body:
1. detects deviations from normal
2. integrates this info with other info
3. makes adjustments to restore the factor to normal
Negative feedback loop because (e.g. body detects high temp & adjustment is to lower temp)
What are the two cardiac muscle cells?
Contractile cells:
- 99% of cardiac muscle cells
- receives electrical signals
- does the mechanical work of pumping
Autorhythmic cells:
- Minority = ~1%
- AKA pacemaker cells
- Initiates the electrical activity
- Sets the pace of heartbeat
- Conducts the action potentials responsible for contraction of contractile cells
- SA node, AV node, Bundle of His, Purkinje fibres
What sets the original pace of the heart?
Controlled by autorhythmic cells
NOT controlled by nerves/nervous system
What is the normal pacemaker of the heart?
Sinoatrial node (SA node)
Where are the pacemaker cells located in the heart?
SA node: R atria waall near opening of superior vena cava
AV node: Junction b/w atria & ventricles (near opening of coronary sinus)
Bundle of His: originates from AV node & travels down interventricular septum
Purkinje fibers: terminal fibers that spread through the myocardium
What does the electrically nonconductive fibrous tissue between the Atria and Ventricles do?
Prevents cardiac excitation from the SA node to pass through
This means the cardiac excitation can only pass through the AV node & bundle of His
Describe the impulse conduction through the heart
- SA node fires
- electrical activity spreads across atrial surfaces and reaches the AV node
- There is a 100msec delay at the AV node, then atrial contraction begins (squeeze blood to next area)
- electrical activity will travel along the interventricular septum through the AV node, bundle of His & Purkinje fibers to the ventricles
- Ventricular muscles contract
What is the
- resting membrane potential
- threshold potential?
Resting membrane potential: -60
Threshold potential: -40
What does the funny channel (I f) do?
Channel allows Na+ to move through which brings the membrane potential up (less -ve)
Needed for depolarization
What is depolarization?
When the membrane potential moves from resting to the threshold potential
i.e. moves form -60 to -40 mV
Briefly outline the action potential in autorhythmic cells. (6 points)
- Resting membrane potential at -60 mV
- Funny channel allows Na+ to move into the cell & Ca2+ moves into the cell too (not by I f) = inc. the mbn potential
- Causes slow depolarization (mbn potential inc. from -60 to -40) - aka pacemaker potential
- Once threshold potential crossed (-40 mV), spike in mbn potential - this is the action potential (AP spreads across the heart)
- Action potential caused by Ca2+ moving into the cell (spike up)
- Spike down (dec. in mbn potential) caused by K+ moving out of the cell
What is the rate of action potential generation for SA node?
70 - 80 AP per min
Translates to 70 - 80 heartbeat/min
Fastest rate, therefore sets the pace
What is the rate of action potential generation for AV node?
40 - 60 AP per min
What is the rate of action potential generation for Bundle and Purkinje?
20 - 40 AP per min
What does action potential cause?
Once an AP occurs in any cardiac muscle cell, it moves throughout the myocardium
Causes contractin
What happens if one of the nodes (SA/AV) are nonfunctional?
The next functional node/autorhythmic cell will takeover.
E.g. SA node nonfunctional; AV node takes over pacemaker activity = rate of AP generation will be 40 - 60 AP/min
E.g. AV node nonfunctional; Purkinje fiber ends up driving the ventricles
What happens is the atria and ventricles pump at the same time?
All the valves will close!
Why must the excitation of cardiac muscle fibers be coordinated?
To ensure that each heart chamber contracts as a unit to pump efficiently
Both atria and both ventricles should be fully coordinated so that both members of the pair contract simultaneously (i.e. R & L atria contract at same time; R & L ventricles contract at same time)
What must be complete before ventricular contraction starts?
Atrial excitation and contraction must be complete before ventricular contraction.
This primes the ventricles (main pumps) by fully filling them before they pump
Slight delay at AV node allows this to happen
Briefly describe what affects the heart rate through the cardiovascular control center and how.
- Pain, chemoreceptors (detect change in chemicals in bld), respiratory center, baroreceptors (detect change in bld. pressure) send signals to the cardiovascular control center in medulla
- The cardiovascular control center sends nerves down to heart to control heart rate
How does epinephrine (aka adrenaline), temperature, etc affect the heart rate?
They act directly on the SA node INDEPENDENT of the autonomic nervous system (ans)
How does the autonomic nervous system affect the heart rate?
Sympathetic nervous system: Inc. HR; flight or fight
Parasympathetic nervous system: dec HR; rest & relax
Both sympathetic & parasympathetic nervous system acts on the SA node
Which autonomic nervous system is active at resting conditions?
Both sympathetic & parasympathetic are active but parasympathetic predominates
An increase in HR is caused by _________ in sympathetic and __________ in parasympathetic
An increase in HR is caused by increase in sympathetic and decrease in parasympathetic
A decrease in HR is caused by _________ in sympathetic and __________ in parasympathetic
A decrease in HR is caused by decrease in sympathetic and increase in parasympathetic
What is an electrocardiogram (ECG) used to diagnose?
Cardiac ischemia (dec blood flow)
Cardiac infarction (heart attack)
What is an ECG?
Record of electrical events in heart from the SURFACE of the body
Provides info on cardiac rate, rhythm, pattern of depolarization & presence of cardiac ischemia/infarction
Overall spread of electrical activity throughout heart during depolarization & repolarization
Sum of electrical activity
Differential recording = poptential diff b/w 2 electrodes
(NOT direct recording of actual electrical activity of heart)
What is the 12 lead ECG also known as?
Einthoven triagle
12 Lead ECG
Lead I:
Lead II:
Lead III:
Lead IV:
Lead V:
Lead VI:
Lead I: Right arm to left arm
Lead II: Right arm to left leg
Lead III: Left arm to left leg
aVF: Left leg up
aVL: Left arm down diagonal
aVR: Right arm down diagonal
aVR/aVL/aVF = aV = augmented voltage
How many leads on the chest?
6 leads
6 leads from the limb electrodes + 6 chest electrodes = 12 leads
Which lead gives indication of the left ventricle?
Lead II
Located directly at the apex of the left ventricle
12 Lead ECG
Each lead forms an axis in vertical/horizontal plane
Each lead looks at electrical events in the heart from a unique vantage point (spatial location)
What can 12 lead ECG help with?
Can help to find the site of infarction (obstruction of blood supply) bc each lead looks at the heart from diff spatial location
What does P represent in a typical lead II ECG waveform?
Atrial depolarisation
What does QRS represent in a typical lead II ECG waveform?
Ventricular depolarisation
(atria repolarizing simultaneously but hidden by QRS complex bc atrium smaller than ventricles)