electrical and mechanical events of heart cycle Flashcards
what is the sinoatrial node?
- cluster of cells that are the pacemakers of the heart
what is the SA node described by?
- autorhythmic so creates own action potential without stimulation by external factor
what is the intrinsic rate per min? what is this without?
- approx. 100 beats per minutes
- without ANS or hormones
what do pacemaker cells have?
- sloping resting potential
- threshold reached over time
why does SA node initiate an action potential?
- due to unstable membrane potential that is continuously drifting towards threshold
what allows the gradual depolarisation of pacemaker cells?
- sodium channels as allow calcium to enter and an action potential to form
what does rate of firing depend on?
- initial value of membrane potential
- slope of drift towards threshold (steeper= quicker it reaches threshold)
describe sympathetic stimulation of the heart
- norepinephrine released on cells that increases permeability of Na+ channels
- increase in slope of drift and quicker depolarisation occurs
describe parasympathetic stimulation of heart
- decrease in slope of drift due to overall decrease of inward current
- hyperpolarisation of membrane due to increased K+ permeability
- initial value is much further from threshold potential
how does atrial contraction occur?
- SA node initiates the impulse
- electrical activity spreads through muscle fibres to top part of atrium
-contraction via gap junctions
where does stimulus spread after atrial contraction?
- spreads via a network of conduits beginning at atrioventricular node and it goes into Bundle of His
what happens when the impulse reaches the Bundle of His?
- propagated into ventricular side of heart
where does signal travel after Bundle of His?
- travels down interventricular septum via the two bundle branches
where does signal terminate and what happens?
- terminates at cardiac muscle fibre via purknje fibres
- ventricles contract as stimulus spreads upwards depolarising muscle fibres
what is the base of valves?
- insulating layer that separates atrium to ventricles
what do valves stop?
- stop propagation of signal from fibre to fibre
- stops atrium and ventricle from contracting at same time as blood would never enter the ventricles
what does AV node do and why?
- delays signal to slow down the propagation
- enough time for ventricles to fill from blood from much weaker atria
what allows signals to travel in muscle fibres?
- pores in intercalated discs connect the different muscle fibres
why is activity measured clinically?
- gives the timing events of the heart cycle and indication of magnitude of stimulation in every part of the heart
what happens to the line when smaller parts are stimulated?
- line becomes bigger when smaller parts (weaker/ damaged) are stimulated then signal is much smaller
what is the electrocardiogram?
- very accurate way of measuring the heart rate by appreciating contraction in one minute
what does atrial excitation result in?
- small bump of electrical stimulation
- much weaker
what is the P wave?
- associated with atrial contraction
- first small wave that you can see