Exam 1: The Heart and Vessels Flashcards
What is the cavity between the lungs that contains the heart?
Mediastinum
What are the subdivisions of the pericardium?
Parietal pericardium
Visceral pericardium
What is the sac that surrounds the heart (externally)?
Parietal pericardium
What is adhered to the heart muscle?
Visceral pericardium
What is another name for the epicardium?
Visceral pericardium
What are the layers of the parietal pericardium?
Serous layer
Fibrous layer
What is the inner layer of the parietal pericardium that produces fluid?
Serous layer
What is the outer layer of the parietal pericardium that is made of connective tissues?
Fibrous layer
What is the outermost layer of the heart?
Epicardium
How thick is the epicardium?
Very thin
What is the middle layer of the heart?
Myocardium
What is the innermost lining of the heart?
Endocardium
How thick is the endocardium?
Very thin
What layer of the heart is known as the heart muscle?
Myocardium
What type of cells is the endocardium made of?
Simple squamous epithelium
List the layers of the heart from most external to most internal:
Fibrous parietal pericardium
Serous parietal pericardium
[Pericardial cavity]
Visceral pericardium
Myocardium
Endocardium
What chamber of the heart receives blood flow returning from the entire body (excluding lungs)?
Right atrium
What structure returns blood to the heart from structures above the heart?
Superior vena cava
What structure returns blood to the heart from structures below the heart?
Inferior vena cava
What appendage-like chamber adds volume to the right atrium?
Right auricle
What does the fossa ovalis mark?
The location of the fetal pulmonary bypass
What is the fetal pulmonary bypass?
Foramen ovale
Where is the fossa ovalis/foramen ovale located?
In the interatrial septum
What are bundles of muscles only seen in the right atrium? (exist in left, can’t see them)
Pectinate muscles
What is the wall between the two atria?
Interatrial septum
Where does blood return from the heart itself?
The opening of the coronary sinus
What is the valve between the right atrium and ventricle?
Tricuspid valve
What are the string-like cords that connect the cusps of the atrioventricular valves to specific muscles of the heart?
Chordae tendineae
What is the purpose of chordae tendineae?
They prevent the valve from pushing up into the atrium
What is another term for an anatomical part that is displaced?
Prolapse
What is the pathology when:
The chordae tendineae break?
Ruptured chordae
What is the pathology when:
A valve is forced up into the atrium during ventricular contraction, thus causing blood to go in the wrong direction?
Mitral/bicuspid valve prolapse or tricuspid valve prolapse
What is the pathology when:
Some blood goes back up into the atrium (the wrong way)
Atrioventricular regurgitation
Where should blood go out through in the heart?
The semilunar valves
What do ruptured chordae cause?
Mitral/bicuspid valve prolapse or tricuspid valve prolapse
Which chamber of the heart pumps blood to the lungs?
Right ventricle
What are specialized muscles of the heart that hold tension on the chordae tendineae?
Papillary muscles
What muscles keep tension on the chordae tendineae to keep the atrioventricular valves closed during ventricular contraction?
Papillary muscles
What are the internal heart muscles that create “nooks and crannies” in the ventricles?
Trabeculae carneae
Which heart muscles are like “struts”?
Trabeculae carneae
What is the valve between the right ventricle and the pulmonary trunk?
Pulmonary semilunar valve
What is the pulmonary semilunar valve also known as?
The pulmonary valve
What is the large artery that leads from the right ventricle to the pulmonary arteries?
Pulmonary trunk
What takes deoxygenated blood to the lungs where the blood can become oxygenated?
[Right and left] pulmonary arteries
What, in birthed humans, used to be a fetal pulmonary bypass between the pulmonary artery and aortic arch?
Ligamentum arteriosum
What, in fetal humans, is a pulmonary bypass between the pulmonary artery and aortic arch?
Ductus arteriosus
Where do the pulmonary veins obtain oxygenated blood from?
The lungs
Where do pulmonary veins take oxygenated blood from the lungs to?
The left atrium
What adds volume to the left atrium?
Left auricle
What is an atrioventricular valve between the left atrium and left ventricle?
Mitral or bicuspid valve
Are there chordae tendineae supporting both atrioventricular valves?
Yes, they are on both valves
What is the chamber that pumps blood to the entire body [except for the lungs]?
Left ventricle
Are there papillary muscles and trabeculae carneae in both ventricles?
Yes
What is the valve between the left ventricle and ascending aorta?
The aortic semilunar valve
What is another name for the aortic semilunar valve?
Aortic valve
What is the first part of the aorta that leaves the heart?
Ascending aorta
What is the part of the aorta that gives off the first 3 major arteries?
Aortic arch
What part of the aorta has blood flowing inferiorly?
Descending aorta
What region of the descending aorta is above the diaphragm?
Descending thoracic aorta
What region of the descending aorta is below the diaphragm?
Descending abdominal aorta
What is the wall between the two ventricles?
Interventricular septum
What is the wall between the two atria?
Interatrial septum
Is cardiac muscle striated or smooth?
Striated
Is cardiac muscle voluntary or involuntary?
Involuntary
Are there branches in cardiac muscle?
Yes
Is cardiac muscle mono or multinucleated?
Mononucleated
What mineral does cardiac muscle require extracellularly?
Cardiac muscle requires extracellular calcium
Why can calcium channel blockers be used to treat certain pathologies?
Cardiac muscle relies upon extracellular calcium to function normally. For example, if calcium is limited to the heart by CCBs, this may lower blood pressure (treating hypertension)
What are intercalated discs?
Structures in the heart that connect cardiac muscle cells together and allow communication
What are gap junctions?
Channels that connect the cytoplasms of neighboring cells, allowing the passage of ions and the spread of cardiac APs
What is the main function of intercalated discs and gap junctions?
Allow AP to pass from cell to cell throughout the heart with little resistance
What does it mean for the heart to be a functional or physiological syncytium?
While the heart muscle cells are mononucleated, they still behave as if they were all one giant multinucleated cell (or one unit)
What allows for the heart to behave as a functional or physiological syncitium?
Gap junctions in the intercalated discs
Where is a true anatomical syncytium seen?
Multinucleated cells in skeletal muscle
What fibers conduct AP throughout the heart?
Conductive fibers
Where does the AP begin in the heart?
The primary pacemaker, the sinoatrial node
Are nodes nerves?
NO! They are modified muscle cells
Where is the SA node located?
The roof of the right atrium between the superior vena cava and right auricle
What pace does the primary pacemaker set in bpm?
100 bpm
What slows the hearts rhythm from the SA’s pace (100bpm)?
The vagus nerve
What does the vagus nerve slow the heart down to?
75bpm
What nervous system controls the vagus nerve and makes the heart slow?
Parasympathetic
What is normal sinus rhythm in bpm?
75bpm
Can the SA node create an AP by itself?
Yes, as seen in hearts still beating after being taken out of a body… Just not for terribly long
What is the “normal” rate of the heart called?
Sinus rhythm
What is normal sinus rhythm in adults?
75bpm
What is normal sinus rhythm in neonates?
120-160bpm
What can overstimulation of the vagus nerve cause?
A vasovagal episode
What are symptoms of a vasovagal episode?
Dizziness and concomitant syncope (fainting)
Why do you faint in a vasovagal episode?
Increased vasodilation and reduction of blood pressure
What does concomitant mean?
Along with
What is the secondary pacemaker of the heart?
Atrioventricular node
What takes over if the SA node stops?
AV Node
Where is the Atrioventricular node located?
Interatrial septum
Which node is located just behind the opening for the coronary sinus?
AV node
What is the purpose of the AV node delay? Is it a pathology?
AV node delay is seen in healthy normal hearts. The AP speed is slowed down by the AV node to allow for optimal filling of the ventricles
Which node is faster? AV or SA?
SA node is faster. If the AV node has to take over, it will be much slower
What does nodal or junctional rhythm indicate?
Pathology! It suggests the SA node is not working and the AV node took over
What is the bpm of nodal or junctional rhythm?
40-50bpm
What is another name for the atrioventricular bundle?
Bundle of His
Where does the AV bundle leave the AV node?
Interventricular septum
How long is the bundle of His before it splits in two?
About 1cm long
What are the two divisions of the AV bundle called?
Right and left bundle branches
Where do the right and left bundle branches go down?
The thick portion of the interventricular septum to the heart’s apex
What conductive fibers begin at the heart’s apex and move up the sides of the heart into the papillary muscles?
Purkinje fibers
What takes over if both the SA and AV nodes stop working?
Purkinje fibers
How fast are Purkinje fibers?
Very slow- 30bpm
Are Purkinje fibers an acceptable pacemaker?
No, the bpm of 30 is so slow it may result in brain damage. If the SA and AV nodes are both broken you will need an artificial pacemaker
What is electrical potential?
The difference in charges on the inside and outside of the cell
What is the natural resting electrical potential of a cell?
Negative inside, positive outside
What is chemical potential?
Difference in chemical ions inside and outside the cell
What is the natural resting chemical potential of a cell?
K+ inside
Cl-, Na+, Ca+ outside
What is an influx or efflux of ions called?
Current
Where does action potential travel from? (from neuron to neuron)
Axon hillock to the terminal of a typical neuron
What is threshold?
The point of no return where AP will be generated
What enters the cell to bring it to threshold?
Positive Na+ ions
When does a cell reach threshold? What kind of potential?
A local potential/stimulus is strong enough to bring lots of Na+ ions into the cell
Is a resting cell polar or nonpolar?
Polar (neg inside)
What is the cell’s state when Na+ enters?
Cell becomes depolarized
What effluxes outside the cell for it to become repolarized?
Potassium
What is the impact of K+ efflux?
Cell becomes negative (polar) again, but now the chemical gradient is messed up. This leads to hyperpolarization (too negative)
What fixes hyperpolarization?
Sodium potassium pump
What is the Na-K pump ratio?
3 Na+ OUT
2 K+ IN
What does the Na-K pump regulate?
Cell volume and secondary active transport
What is the plateau in heart cell AP?
Influx of Ca++ stops the cell from becoming too negative and creates a plateau
What is the benefit of the heart cell’s Ca++ plateau?
This optimizes ejection/emptying of ventricles
How does repolarization complete in the heart?
Ca++ influx stops and K+ efflux continues
Does the Na-K pump function differently in the heart?
It still pumps 3 Na+ OUT and 2 K+ IN to restore the gradient.
The only difference is the Ca++ plateau due to Ca++ influx
What does the Ca++ plateau represent?
A prolonged contraction to maximize emptying of the heart’s chambers (pumping blood OUT)
What slows the heart by using the mechanism described by the Na-K pump?
Calcium channel blockers. These prevent the influx of Ca++, which in turn prevents the optimization of the heart’s contractions
What stage of the AP cycle is different in the heart than the neuron?
There is no hyperpolarization in the heart’s cycle, there’s a Ca++ plateau
Which has a longer refractory period: nerves or the heart?
The heart
Why does the heart have a longer refractory period?
To prevent the myocardium from entering tetanus or fatigue
Does the heart’s Ca++ plateau occur at the peak?
No, there is a decline/slight repolarization first
How does digitalis poison the Na-K pump?
Digitalis prevents Na+ from exiting the cell. This means there is less of a Na+ gradient and Ca++ accumulates inside the heart cell
What does > Ca++ inside the heart muscle do for the strength of contraction?
Increases strength of contraction
What kicks Ca out of the heart normally? (I.e., when digitalis is not interfering)
The sodium/calcium counter transport
What does an ECG/EKG represent?
All of the electrical events in the heart muscles combined
What wave occurs just prior to contraction?
P wave
What wave represents atrial depolarization?
P wave
What wave represents atrial repolarization?
It is hidden by the QRS complex
What wave represents ventricular depolarization?
QRS complex
What wave represents ventricular repolarization?
T wave
Which wave is of an unknown origin and is not always seen on EKGs?
U wave
What can enhance the U wave?
Hypokalemia (low potassium)
Where is the AV node delay on an EKG?
Right after the p wave, there is a flat line prior to the Q dip. This is the delay.
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Enlarged P wave
Atrial hypertrophy (enlargement)
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Missing p wave
SA node damage
How do you know that the AV node has taken over as pacemaker?
There’s a missing P wave, and the bpm has slowed to 40-50
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Extra QRS complex, sometimes inverted
Premature ventricular contractions (PVC), where the ventricles beat twice for the beat of one atria
What is another name for Premature ventricular contractions (PVC)?
Extra systole
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Enlarged Q, S-T elevation, and/or inverted T
Myocardial infarction (MI)
What is a myocardial infarction (MI)?
Ischemic necrosis of the myocardium
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Enlarged R
Ventricular hypertrophy (enlargement)
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Flattened T
Cardiac ischemia or hypoxia
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Prolonged P-Q
Damage in the atria blocking APs
What does this EKG pathology mean?
Bifid R wave (2 peaks)
An R wave with 2 peaks indicates left bundle branch block
What is an ectopic focus?
An AP that originates anywhere except the SA node
What is a premature contraction of the heart that results in an early beat? (You get two beats together followed by an asystolic period)?
Extra systole
What is an asystolic period?
Period without systole or contraction
Is the recovery beat after an extra systole strong or weak?
Recovery beat is very strong and is felt as a thud or flutter
Where is the cardioacceleratory center?
In the medulla oblongata
What NS increases heart rate and SOC from the cardioacceleratory center?
Sympathetic NS
What sympathetic NS receptors can impact the heart?
Adrenergic receptors
What are the neurotransmitters that bind to adrenergic receptors?
Norepinephrine and epinephrine
What’s another name for the NTs that bind to adrenergic receptors?
Receptor ligands
What does the adrenergic receptor Alpha 1 do to the heart?
Causes vasoconstriction increasing BP
What does the adrenergic receptor Beta 1 do to the heart?
Increases HR, SOC, BP when bound to norepi
What does the adrenergic receptor Beta 2 do to the heart?
Causes relaxation of smooth muscle around blood vessels (vasodilation) which reduces BP around bronchi and bronchioles (bronchodilation)
Which adrenergic receptor is associated with bronchodilation?
Beta 2
What does “chronotropic factors” mean? Positive vs negative?
Things that effect heart rate
Positive increases HR, negative decreases HR
Does this increase or decrease HR?
Beta 1 receptors
Increase HR
Does this increase or decrease HR?
Cardioacceleratory center
Increase HR
Does this increase or decrease HR?
Sympathetic NS
Increase HR
Does this increase or decrease HR?
Epinephrine/adrenalin
Increase HR
Does this increase or decrease HR?
Caffeine and nicotine
Increase HR
When is epinephrine released? What does this do to HR and BP?
Epi is released due to anxiety and increases HR and BP… This makes anxiety even worse.
What does long-term epi from anxiety do to the body?
Cortisol is released from the adrenal glands
Does this increase or decrease HR?
Parasympathetic NS
Decrease HR
Does this increase or decrease HR?
Vagus nerve
Decrease HR
What is the NT for the vagus nerve?
Achtylcholine
What does inotropic factors mean?
Things that effect the heart’s SOC
Does this increase or decrease SOC?
Parasympathetic NS
Decrease SOC
Does this increase or decrease SOC?
Vagus nerve-Ach
Decrease SOC
Where is the cardioinhibitory center located?
Also the medulla oblongata
What is in the cardioinhibitory center?
Parasympathetic nerves from the vagus nerve
What are proteins/receptors involved in the Parasympathetic NS?
Muscarinic receptors
What is another name for muscarinic receptors?
Cholinergic receptors
What cranial nerve # is the vagus nerve?
10
Is the vagus nerve large or small?
Large
What does the vagal NT Ach do to K+ channels?
Acetylcholine opens K+ channels, allowing K+ to flood OUT. This hyperpolarizes muscle cells
What is continuous vagal stimulation that keeps the HR down?
Vagal tone
What happens to the HR if you cut the vagus nerves?
HR increases to 100bpm (the actual pacing of the SA node naturally)
What makes the first sound of the heart?
Closure of the atrioventricular valves (especially the mitral valve)
What makes the second sound of the heart?
Closure of the semilunar valves, especially the aortic valve
What makes the third sound of the heart?
Too much volume in the atrium causes a gallop that sounds like “Kentucky”
Is a third heart sound normal?
In children and young adults, it is normal. For those over 40 it can indicate heart failure
How many heart sounds might you hear if you have mitral valve regurgitation?
3
When does the third heart sound happen?
Immediately following S2 in early diastole
What makes the fourth sound of the heart?
Stiff walls (noncompliant or non-elastic) vibrate when blood hits them and it makes a gallop sound like “Tennessee”
What does 4 heart sounds indicate?
Myocardial damage
When does the fourth heart sound take place?
Occurs immediately before S1
What is diastole?
The heart relaxing and filling with blood
What is systole?
The heart contracting and ejecting blood
What is the normal pressure for diastole?
Low pressure or 75mmHg for periphery
What is normal pressure for systole?
High pressure or 120mmHg for periphery
How do you calculate pulse pressure?
Diastole - Systole
What is the pulse pressure for the average healthy person?
Diastole - Systole
75mmHg - 120mmHg = 45mmHg
What is the first step in the cardiac cycle?
Ventricular filling
What brings blood into the heart, and where?
Veins return deoxygenated blood to the heart through the atria
Does pressure increase or decrease in ventricular filling?
Atrial pressure increases as blood begins to fill
Ventricular pressure decreases, as systole (ejection) just finished
What happens when the pressure in the atrium is greater than the pressure in the ventricle?
The AV valve pops open
What happens when the AV valve opens?
Blood floods the ventricles
What percent of ventricular filling is powered by low pressure venous return?
80%
What powers 20% of ventricular filling?
Atrial contraction
What is the end diastolic volume (EDV)?
Volume in the chamber at the end of diastole, or its max volume
What is the max volume, or EDV in ml?
120ml
What happens after ventricular filling?
Isovolumetric (isovolumic) contraction (IVC)
What happens to the AV valves when ventricles contract?
The valves snap shut (all 4 of them)
What does the word isovolumic mean and how does it relate to the cardiac cycle?
Same volume, meaning the volume remains the same despite pressure rising sharply