Exam II Flashcards
What is a vector?
An arrow the points in the direction of the electrical potential generated by the current flow. Arrowhead points in positive direction. Length of the arrow is proportional to to the voltage of the potential.
In the ECG shown below, which of the following heart activities is represented?
a) sinus tachycardia
b) sinus bradycardia
c) complete AV block
d) incomplete second degree block with dropped beats
b
Which of the following conditions may result in tachycardia?
a) toxic conditions of the heart
b) increased body temp
c) sympathetic nerve stimulation
d) all of the above
e) B and C only
d
Circus movements are the basis of heart fibrillation. Which of the following statements is NOT true?
a) fibrillation may occur when the refractory period of the muscle is greatly shortened
b) fibrillation may occur when the pathway around the circle is too short
c) fibrillation may occur when the conduction velocity slows down
d) fibrillation may occur when the heart becomes dilated
b
What are the axes for the three leads on the ECG?
Lead I:
R= negative
L= positive
direction= 0 degrees
Lead II (right arm and left leg): A= negative L= positive direction= 60 degrees
Lead III (left arm and left leg): A= negative L= positive direction= 120 degrees
What will voltages be in accordance to the lead directions with the vector of the heart?
- when vector of heart is perpendicular to axis of lead, the voltage recorded in the ECG is very low
- heart vector has almost same axis as the axis of the lead, the entire voltage will be recorded
- instantaneous mean vector: the summated vector of the generated potential at a particular instant
- reference vector is horizontal and extends to left side
What is the vector of the heart in relation to the zero reference point?
59 degrees (mean electrical axis of the heart)
What is the vectorial analysis of the T wave?
- the greatest portion of the ventricles to repolarize first is the outer surface near the apex
- endocardial cells normally repolarize last
- ventricular vector during repolarization is toward the apex of the heart
- normal T wave in all three bipolar leads is POSITIVE
What is the vectorial analysis of the P wave?
- atrial depolarization begins in the sinus node
- vector direction is generally in the direction of the axes of the three limb leads
- ECG is normally positive in all three leads
What is the vectorial analysis of the atrial T wave?
- spread of depolarization through atrial muscle is slower than in ventricles
- musculature around sinus node becomes depolarized a long time before the musculature in the distal parts of the atria
- sinus node is the first to become repolarized
- at the beginning of repolarization, the sinus node is positive with respect to the rest of the atria
- obscured by QRS wave
What are the names of the leads utilized for an ECG?
six standard leads (V1-V6)
three augmented leads (aVR, aVL, aVF)
What can cause the heart’s axis to move?
ventricular conditions:
- change in position of heart in the chest
- hypertrophy of one ventricle
- bundle branch block
- fluid in pericardium
- pulmonary emphysema
What can cause an increased voltage of the QRS wave in the bipolar leads?
- occurs when the sum of the voltages of all the QRS complexes of the leads is greater than 4mV
- most common cause is hypertrophy of the ventricle
What causes a decreased voltage of the QRS wave in a ECG?
- caused by cardiac myopathies
- conditions surrounding the heart
With hypertrophy of the heart is the QRS shortened or lengthened? What can cause this abnormality?
lengthened from 0.06-0.08 to 0.09-0.12
Causes:
- destruction of the cardiac muscle and replacement by scar tissue
- multiple small local blocks in the conduction impulses at the many points in the Purkinje system
What characterizes a current of injury? The “trademark”
- causes part of the heart to remain partially or totally depolarized all the time
- current of injury flows between the pathologically depolarized and the normally polarized areas, even between heartbeats
- the wave will begin above or below the J line due to the fact that the injured part is depolarized
What abnormalities cause an injury current?
- mechanical trauma
- infectious processes
- ischemia (most common cause)
How does a current of injury affect the QRS wave?
-abnormal negative current flows from infarcted area and spreads toward the rest of the ventricles
What is the J point?
the reference point for analyzing current of injury
What is tachycardia and what are some causes?
-fast heart rate (greater than 100 bpm)
Causes:
- increased body temperature (heart rate increase about 10bpF or 18bpC)
- stimulation of the heart by sympathetic nerves (due to loss of blood and state of shock)
- toxic conditions of the heart (results in weakening of the myocardium)
What is the difference between endogenously (exercise) and pathologically mediated tachycardia?
Endogenously:
- heart rate increases and cardiac output increase
- filling time is reduced but stroke volume does not fall
- systolic interval is reduced allowing for more diastolic filling time
- sympathetic and skeletal muscle pump increase venous return to help maintain ventricular filling
Pathological:
- heart rate increases
- cardiac output decreases
- no muscle pump
- mean atrial pressure decreases and activates the sympathetic nervous system, which occurs after the fact and is unable to compensate
What is bradycardia and what are some of the causes?
-slow heart rate (less than 60 beats/min)
Causes:
- athletic heart
- vagal stimulation
- extremely sensitive carotid baroreceptors in carotid sinus syndrome
What is the respiratory type of sinus arrhythmia?
spillover signals:
- from medullary respiratory center into vasomotor center during inspiratory and expiratory respiratory cycles
- these signals alternately increase and decrease number of impulses transmitted through sympathetic and vagus nerves to the heart
What are the characteristics of a sinoatrial block?
- sudden cessation of P waves
- resultant standstill of atria
- ventricles pick up a new rhythm, usually originating in the AV node
- rate of QRS is slowed but not otherwise altered
- no SA node, picks up AV node rhythm
What conditions cause an atrioventricular block?
- ischemia of AV node or bundle fibers through coronary insufficient
- compression of AV bundle by scar tissue or calcified portions of the heart
- inflammation of the AV node or bundle
- extreme stimulation of the heart by vagus
What are the characteristics of a first degree atrioventricular block?
- normal P-R interval
- increase in length with slower heartbeat and decreases with faster heartbeat
- when P-R interval increases to greater than 0.20 seconds, the P-R interval is prolonged and patient has a first degree incomplete heart block
What are the characteristics of a second degree heart block?
- P-R time interval increase to 0.25-0.45sec
- atrial P wave is present but QRS-T wave may be missing, resulting in dropped beats of the ventricles
- 2:1 rhythm or other variations may develop
What are some characteristics of a complete AV block?
-ventricles establish their own signal (usually AV node)
+if this ceases it takes ventricles 5-30secs to begin beating on their own (possibly due to Purkinje fibers acting as ectopic pacemaker = ventricular escape)
-no relation between the rate of the P waves and the rate of the QRS-T waves
-duration of block is variable (seconds to weeks)
-
What is Stokes-Adams syndrome?
after a complete block occurs, patients will often faint due to lack of blood to the brain until the ventricles escape, these fainting spells are Stokes-Adams sysndrome
What is a partial intraventricular block?
- referred to as electrical alternans
- term refers to an alteration in the amplitude of P waves, QRS complexes, or T waves
What are some causes of premature contractions?
Anything that can interfere with the pathway between the SA node and Purkinje fibers:
- local ischemic areas
- calcified plaques
- irritation of the conduction system or nodes
84% of the blood volume is in the systemic circulation. Of this, 64% is in which of the following vessels?
a) capillaries
b) systemic arterioles
c) veins
d) arterioles
c
Blood flow resistance is indirectly proportional to which of the following?
a) viscosity
b) vessel diameter
c) density
d) both a and c
b
Reynolds number is a measure of which of the following parameters?
a) tendency for turbulence
b) blood pressure
c) conductance
d) resistance
a
Which of the following represents the viscosity of blood with a hematocrit of 38-42?
a) 1.5
b) 3.0
c) 38
d) 42
b
1.5 is viscosity of plasma
What is a paroxysmal tachycardia?
- heart rate increases suddenly and lasts for a few seconds, minutes, hours, or longer
- they suddenly end and the pacemaker shifts back to the sinus node
- can be either atrial or ventricular
What is fibrillation and what causes it?
Fibrillation- the twitching (typically slow) of the cardiac fibers in the atria or ventricles and recently denervated skeletal muscle fibers
-fibrillation is caused by the normal depolarization dying out in the heart muscle that has already contracted and is in the refractory period and cannot respond to being stimulated by the existing depolarization waves. This occurs due to circus movements.
What are the three different conditions that cause circus movements and explain them.
- the pathway around the circle is too long
- due to dilated or hypertrophic heart
- the impulse takes longer to get to the starting point and the muscle is no longer in the refractory period and can undergo another depolarization - The length of the pathway remains the same, but the velocity slows down
- usually occurs due to an ischemia, blockage of the Purkinje fibers, or excess K+ surrounding the heart - the refractory period of the muscle might become greatly shortened
- may occur in response to drugs such as epinephrine
- may occur after repetitive electrical stimulation
What are some characteristics and causes of atrial fibrillation?
- atrial muscle fibers are separated from the ventricular muscle fibers by the cardiac fibrous skeleton
- ventricular and atrial fibrillation may occur separate from one another
Causes:
- enlargement of the atria due to valve lesions (blood can travel back into the atria)
- inadequate emptying of the ventricles causing blood to back up into atria
What are the differences between systemic and pulmonary bp?
systemic: 120/80
- drops to 0mm Hg by the time it reaches the termination of the vena cava
- systemic capillary pressure varies from 35mm Hg-10mm Hg
pulmonary: 25/8mm Hg
What is the overall blood distribution in the body?
84% systemic:
- 64% veins
- 13% arteries
- 7% systemic arterioles and capillaries
16% in lungs and heart (pulmonary)
How do you calculate the velocity of blood flow? What is the velocity of the blood in the arteries and capillaries?
V=F/A, V=velocity, A=area, F=volume of blood flow
aorta: 33cm/sec at rest (area= 2.5cm2)
capillaries: 0.3mm/sec at rest (A= 25000cm2)
What are the functional principles of the circulatory system?
- rate of blood flow to each tissue of the body is almost always precisely controlled in relation to the tissue need.
- the cardiac output is controlled mainly by the sum of all the local tissue flows.
- arterial pressure is generally independent of either local blood flow control or cardiac output control
How is tissue blood need monitored?
-microvessels
+monitors O2, CO2, and wastes and then acts directly on local blood vessels and dilate or constrict accordingly
How does the heart respond to tissue needs?
-nerve signals may be needed to help regulate heart rate, but the heart responds to the demands of the tissues
How is arterial pressure regulation independent?
-if arterial pressure falls below 100mm Hg, nervous reflexes:
+increase force of heart pumping
+constrict large venous reservoirs
+generally constrict most of the arterioles throughout the body (increase pressure_
+kidneys may later play important role in pressure control
What two factors affect blood flow? What is the equation that can be used to explain this?
-pressure and resistance
-Pouiseille’s law:
F = (delta)P/R, measured in mL/min or L/min
-adult at rest -> 5000mL/min
The least amount of damping of the pressure pulses would occur in which of the following components of the circulatory system?
a) femoral artery
b) arterioles
c) capillaries
d) venules
a
Which of the following factors affect(s) pulse pressure?
a) vascular elastance
b) arterial compliance
c) stroke volume
d) all of the above
e) b and c only
e
Which of the following is the most important means for the exchange of substances between the blood and the interstitial fluid?
a) blood hydrostatic pressure
b) capillary oncotic pressure
c) diffusion
d) interstitial fluid hydrostatic pressure
e) osmosis
c
What is laminar flow and what are some characteristics of laminar flow?
-streamline flow
-blood flows at a steady rate
-blood vessel is long and smooth
-blood flows in layers
+each layer maintains same distance from vessel wall
+central-most portion of the blood stays in the center
+each layer slips easily past surrounding layers
+velocity of fluid flowing in center is greater than that of fluid flowing towards the outer edge
What is turbulent flow and some characteristics of it?
-turbulent flow is non-layered flow
-creates murmurs
-produces more resistance than laminar flow
-occurs when:
+flow is too great great
+blood passes an obstruction within the vessel
+blood has to make a sharp turn
+blood passes over a rough surface
-blood flows with greater resistance when eddy currents flow (swirling flow)
What factors influence turbulent flow?
- in direct proportion to velocity of blood flow
- in direct proportion to the diameter of the vessel
- in direct proportion to the density of the blood
- inversely proportional to the viscosity of the blood
How does viscosity and density affect blood flow?
- blood is denser than water, specific gravity 1.055
- blood density depends on the proportion of its components and in particular of RBCs and proteins
- blood is more vicous than water
- viscosity is 4.5
- blood viscosity is the property of blood to adhere to the vessel walls and to each other based on size, shape, and number
- viscosity ensures laminar flow (in layers) of blood through the vessels
What is a Reynolds number?
-measure of the tendency for turbulence to occur
Re= vd p/ n
v=velocity
d= vessel diameter (cm)
p= density
n= viscosity (in poise), normally 1/30 poise
What are typical Reynolds number?
- when Re rises above 200-400, turbulent flow will occur in some regions of a vessel
- when Re rises above 2000, turbulence will occur even in a straight vessel
What is blood pressure?
-the force exerted by the blood against any unit area of the vessel wall. Measured via sphygmomanometer or electronic transducers
What is resistance?
- impediment to blood flow in a vessel
- indirectly calculated from measurements of blood flow and pressure (peripheral resistance unit)
What factors influence resistance?
- vessel radius (most important)
- blood viscosity
- vessel length
increased resistance: decreased blood flow, upstream pressure increased, downstream pressure decreased
rate of blood flow through entire circulatory system:
=100mL/sec
pressure difference from systemic arteries to systemic veins
=100mm Hg
resistance of entire systemic circulation
=100/100= 1PRU
- in conditions where vessels are strongly constricted, total peripheral resistance may rise to 4PRU -> sympathetic
- when vessels are dilated, the resistance can fall to as little as 0.4PRU
-pulmonary vascular resistance= 0.14PRU
What is conductance?
-the measure of blood flow through a vessel for a given pressure difference
+expressed in mL/sec per mL Hg
-reciprocal of resistance and directly proportional to diameter^4
-a fourfold increase in vessel diameter can increase the flow by as much as 256x -> minor changes in arteriole diameter greatly increases blood flow
What is the equation for conductance?
F= (pi)(deltaP)r^4/8nl
F= rate of blood flow (mL/min) delta P= pressure difference between ends of vessel r= radius of vessel l= vessel length n= blood viscosity
How is blood flow affected when there are vessels arranged in parallel series?
-total resistance of blood flow is expressed as:
1/Rtotal = 1/R1 + 1/R2 + etc
the resistance of a parallel series is less than a single blood vessel
-total conductance for vessels arranged in parallel is the sum of the conductance of each parallel pathway
What systems are arranged in parallel and how are the systems affected when a parallel circuit is removed?
- brain
- kidney
- muscle
- GI
- skin
- coronary circulation
amputation or removal of a kidney (for example) removes a parallel circuit: -reduces total vascular conductance -reduces total blood flow -increases total vascular resistance
What is the relationship between resistance and viscosity?
-viscosity is a measure of the fluid’s internal resistance
-the greater the viscosity, the greater the resistance
-prime determinant of blood viscosity is hematocrit
-blood is 3x more viscous than water
+hematocrit men: 42, women: 38
+normal viscosity: 3
+when hematocrit rises to 60-70 (polycythemia), viscosity= 10
+viscosity of blood plasma w/o RBCs = 1.5, same as water
-anemia decreases viscosity
When does autoregulation occur? (parameters)
75-175mm Hg
What is vascular distensibility?
increase in volume/ increase in pressure * original volume
Compare the distensibility between arteries and veins.
- veins are 8x more distensible than arteries
- pulmonary vein distensibility is about the same as the systemic veins
- pulmonary artery distensibility is about 6x that of systemic arteries
- the more pressure needed to increase volume, the less distensible the vessel is
What is vascular compliance/capacitance?
-total quantity of blood that can be stored in a given portion of the circulatory system
increase in volume/ increase in pressure
-describes distensibility of blood vessels
-tells us the quantity of blood (mL() that can be stored in a given portion of the circulation for each mm Hg rise in pressure
-inversely proportional to elastance
+elasticity of arteries decreases with age
What is elastance?
-a measure of the tendency of a hollow viscus to recoil toward its original dimensions upon removal of a distending or collapsing force
What is pulse pressure? What factors affect it?
stroke volume/arterial compliance
- most important determinant of pulse pressure
- diastolic pressure remains unchanged during ventricular systole, pulse pressue increases to the same extent as the systolic pressue
- decreases in compliance result in increase in pulse pressure
What conditions cause abnormal contours in the pulse pressure wave?
- Aortic valve stenosis:
- diameter of the aortic valve opening is reduced significantly and the aortic pressure pulse is decreased significantly
- blood flow through the aortic valve is diminished - Atherosclerosis
- Patent ductus arteriosus:
- half or more of the cardiac output flows back into the pulmonary artery and lung blood vessels
- diastolic pressure falls very low before next heartbeat - Aortic regurgitation:
- the aortic valve is absent or will not close completely
- aortic pressure may fall to 0 between heartbeats
On the pressure pulse contour what is the incisura indicative of?
-the aortic valve closing
What is damping and what does it apply to?
- applies to pulse pressure
- the progressive reduction of the pulsations in the periphery
How is arterial pressure measured and what do the sounds mean?
- sphygmomanometer on brachial artery
- Korotkoff sounds are the first sound and last sound -> turbulent
Where does mean blood pressure lie compared to systole and diastole? Why is it positioned as such?
The mean bp lies in between systole and diastole, but closer to diastole. This is because 60% of the cardiac cycle is spent in diastole and 40% in systole.
What is the calculation for mean arterial pressure?
diastolic pressure + 1/3 pulse pressure
What is the pressure in the right atrium called? What are some factors that regulate it?
central venous pressure
- ability of the heart to pump blood out of the right atrium/ventricle
- tendency of blood to flow into the right atrium
What are some factors that increase venous return and increase rt atrial pressure?
- increased blood volume
- increased peripheral venous pressures due to increased large vessel tone
- dilation of arterioles
How does resistance change with body position?
- in a person lying down the pressure in the peripheral veins is +4 to +6 mm Hg greater than the right atrial pressure
- when intra-abdominal pressure increases, the venous pressure in the legs must increase above the abdominal pressure before the blood can flow from the legs to the heart through the abdominal veins
How does intro-thoracic pressure influence venous return?
- negative intro-thoracic pressure encourages venous return
- positive is the opposite
How does gravity affect venous return?
- anything above the heart is generally negative to 0
- anything below the heart is positive, so muscle pumps are critical to getting the blood back
How does altering blood volume affect pressure?
-the body will attempt to “equalize” it
+decrease the pressure with an increase in blood and increase pressure with a decrease in blood
What are varicose veins?
-valves in veins, typically in legs, collapses and blood pools. This causes a protrusion in the vein.
How do arterioles influence blood flow?
-small arterioles control blood flow to each tissue
-local conditions in tissues control diameters of arterioles
-arterioles are highly muscular
+continuous muscular coat is lost in metarterioles