heart + blood vessels DEFINITELY IN EXAM

Question 1

what is the function of the arteries

Answer 1

to carry blood away from the heart at high pressures

Carry oxygenated blood, except for the pulmonary artery

Question 2

what are some adaptations of arteries

Answer 2

• thick muscular elasticated walls to pump the blood and withstand it’s high pressure
• narrow lumen

Question 3

what is the function of veins

Answer 3

to carry blood to the heart at low pressures

Always carry deoxygenated blood, except for the pulmonary vein

Question 4

what are some adaptations of veins

Answer 4

• thin walls (carry blood at low pressures so don’t need thick walls)
• wide lumen
• contain valves (prevent blood from flowing backwards)

Question 5

what do capillaries connect

Answer 5

arteries and veins

Question 6

what is the function of capillaries

Answer 6

capillaries take waste products away by allowing the exchange of molecules between the blood and the body’s cells as molecules can diffuse across their walls

Question 7

what are some adaptations of capillaries

Answer 7

• walls are 1 cell thick (minimises the diffusion pathway so substances can diffuse rapidly from the blood and the body cells)

Question 8

what side of the heart is deoxygenated blood and where is it pumped to?

Answer 8

right side of the heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs

Question 9

what side of the heart is oxygenated blood and where is it pumped to?

Answer 9

left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood to the body

Question 10

where are the pacemaker cells

Answer 10

in the wall of the right atrium

Question 11

what do pace maker cells do?

Answer 11

controls heart beat by electrical impulses

Question 12

what is an artificial pacemaker

Answer 12

an electrical device that controls heart rate

Question 13

define double circulatory system

Answer 13

the blood passes through the heart twice for every circuit of the body
(can pass blood through the body quicker meaning more oxygen to the working muscles)

Question 14

what are the health issues caused by blocked coronary arteries

Answer 14

decreased blood flow so there is decreased oxygen to the heart muscle which causes strain on the heart and there is potential for a heart attack (where the heart is starved of oxygen)

Question 15

what is a stent

Answer 15

an expandable tube in a coronary artery to keep them open

Question 16

what are the advantages and disadvantages of a stent

Answer 16

advantages

• surgery is quick
• last a long time
• blood can flow normally through the artery
• don’t need to take a pill every day

disadvantages

• any surgery has risks (infection)
• blood clots near the stent (strokes)
• doesn’t prevent other regions of the coronary arteries from narrowing
• doesn’t treat the causes of the disease

Question 17

what is a statin

Answer 17

a pill
(that reduces blood cholesterol levels which slows down the rate of fatty material deposit in the arteries)

Question 18

what are the advantages and disadvantages of a statin

Answer 18

advantages

• no surgery (no risk of infection)
• are an effective treatment

disadvantages

• have to take regularly
• side effects (headaches, kidney failure)

Question 19

if valves get damaged what does that cause

Answer 19

valves don’t close properly so blood flows backwards

valves stay closed not enough blood passes through

Question 20

what are the risks of biological and mechanical valves

Answer 20

biological valves
- risks with surgery
- need to take immunosuppressants
- abundance of cows (shorter waiting time)
cow new procedure so there are unknown risks
-possible objections on religious grounds
- human donors take a long time to find ( can only be used if the tissue is viable)
- valves may need to be replaced in the future

mechanical valves
- risk of blood clots
- risk of infections
- need to take immunosuppressants
\+ last a lifetime

Question 21

name the sources of biological valves

Answer 21

human donors

cow/pig valves

Question 22

what is heart failure

Answer 22

the heart can’t pump blood properly so the patient needs a new heart

Question 23

what are the disadvantages associated with biological and artificial hearts

Answer 23

biological

• risk of rejection
• requires surgery (risk of infection)
• limited supply of donated hearts
• transplant list is long
• patient has to take immunosuppressants

artificial

• temporary solution
• requires surgery (risk of infection)
• need the surgery for a biological heart afterwards
• increase the risk of blood clots

Question 24

explain why oxygen supply decreases as a result of CHD

Answer 24

fatty deposits in the coronary arteries
reduce blood flow
which decreases oxygen supply

Question 25

what are the 4 chambers of the heart called

Answer 25

right ventricle
left ventricle
right atrium
left atrium

Question 26

what are the 4 main blood vessels entering and leaving the heart

Answer 26

vena cava (deoxygenated blood from the body)
pulmonary artery (carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs)
pulmonary vein (carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart)
aorta (pumps oxygenated blood from the heart to the body)

Question 27

the pattern of blood flow through the heart

Answer 27

blood enters the left and right atrium
the atria contract and blood is forced into the ventricles
the ventricles then contract and force blood out of the heart
the valves in the heart stop the blood from flowing backwards into the atria when the ventricles contract

Question 28

why does the left side of the heart have a thicker muscular wall than the right

Answer 28

the left side of the heart has a thicker muscular wall because it pumps blood to the whole body so needs to provide a greater force
(whereas the right ventricle only pumps blood to the lungs)

Question 29

what is the purpose of the coronary arteries?

Answer 29

to provide oxygen to the muscle cells of the heart

the oxygen is used in respiration to provide energy for contraction

Question 30

what are cardiovascular diseases

Answer 30

cardiovascular diseases are diseases of the heart and blood vessels