Overview of Cardiovascular System

Question 1

What does the circulatory system transport?

Answer 1

oxygen, carbon dioxide, nutrients, waste, hormones

Question 2

What is a subsystem associated with the circulatory system and what does it carry?

Answer 2

lymphatic system -carry excess lymph from tissues to bloodstream

Question 3

What are the two types of circulation and what is the difference between both?

Answer 3

Pulmonary - carries deoxygenated blood from heart to lungs where it is oxygenated and sent to heart again

Systemic - carries oxygenated blood to the body from the heart and carries deoxygenated blood from body to the heart

Question 4

What is the mediastinum?

Answer 4

The mediastinum is an area found in the midline of the thoracic cavity. It has superior and interior regions

Question 5

Describe the regions of the mediastinum

Answer 5

Superior mediastinum
-Upper portion: T1 posteriorly, 1st rib
-Lower portion: T4 posteriorly, sternal angle

Inferior mediastinum (larger)
-Anterior (fat and thymus)

-Middle (heart)

-Posterior (aorta, oesophagus)

Question 6

In which region of the mediastinum does the heart lie?

Answer 6

Inferior Middle T4-T9

Question 7

What are the two layers of pericardium?

Answer 7

fibrous, serous

Question 8

What is fibrous pericardium and what does it do?

Answer 8

tough outer connective tissue that anchors heart to diaphragm

it prevents rapid over filling of the heart

Question 9

What is pericardial effusion and what can it lead to?

Answer 9

Pericardial effusion is an accumulation of fluid in-between the layers of pericardium in the pericardial space.

When it happens quickly or involves a large amount of fluid, the excess fluid can take up too much space in the pericardium, compressing your heart and causing a life-threatening condition known as cardiac tamponade.

Question 10

What is serous pericardium and what does it do?

Answer 10

two layers:

the outer parietal layer that lines the internal surface of the fibrous pericardium

the internal visceral layer that forms the outer layer of the heart.

Each layer is made up of a single sheet of epithelial cells, known as mesothelium.

Question 11

Where is the pericardial cavity and what is it’s role?

Answer 11

between the outer and inner serous layers is the pericardial cavity, which contains a small amount of lubricating serous fluid. The serous fluid serves to minimize the friction generated by the heart as it contracts.

Question 12

What arteries supply the heart and where do they come from?

Answer 12

coronary arteries from the ascending aorta

Question 13

What vessels branch from the arch of the aorta?

Answer 13

Brachiocephalic trunk
Left common carotid artery
Left subclavian artery

Question 14

What do the branches from the aorta supply?

Answer 14

brachiocephalic - head and neck (right common carotid artery)

left common carotid artery - head and neck

left subclavian artery - upper limbs

Question 15

What is the endocardium composed of?

Answer 15

loose connective tissue
simple squamous epithelial tissue

Question 16

What does the ductus venous vessel in fatal circulation allow and what does it become after birth?

Answer 16

allows blood to bypass liver (30% of maternal blood) to the inferior vena cava. At birth this closes and becomes the ligamentum venosum.

Question 17

What does the foramen ovale do?

Answer 17

creates a passage between the right atrium and the left atrium so oxygenated blood from the placenta can move to the left atrium. This allows for the oxygenated blood to pass through the left ventricle and into the ascending aorta, oxygenating the brain.

Question 18

What does the ductus arteriosus do?

Answer 18

allow the fusion of the primitive pulmonary artery to the aorta, therefore allowing blood to pass straight from the right ventricle into the aorta and bypass the inactive lungs.

becomes the ligamentum arteriosus

Question 19

What do the umbilical arteries transport?

Answer 19

The umbilical arteries are used to transport deoxygenated blood away from the fetal tissue and back towards the placenta for re-oxygenation.

Question 20

What is the difference between right/left ventricles?

Answer 20

the left ventricle is 3x thicker as it has to pump blood to the entire body whereas the right only has to pump to the lungs

Question 21

What is the solid muscular wall that separates the atria?

Answer 21

interatrial septum

Question 22

What is the depression in the wall of the right atria?

Answer 22

the fossa ovalis. This is the remnant of the foramen ovale in the fetal heart, which allows right to left shunting of blood to bypass the lungs. It closes once the newborn takes its first breath.

Question 23

What are the series of irregular muscular elevations that give ventricles ‘sponge-like’ appearance, and can be grouped into three main types called?

Answer 23

trabeculae carnae

Question 24

What are the three main types of trabeculae carnae called?

Answer 24

papillary muscle (has chordae tedinase)

bridges

ridges

Question 25

What is a septal defect?

Answer 25

when there is a hole in the inter ventricular or interatrial septal wall. (cause mixing of blood, increases blood flow)

Question 26

What valves are more anterior?

Answer 26

the aortic and pulmonary

Question 27

How many leaflets do the atrioventricular valves have?

Answer 27

bicuspid (mitral) =two
tricuspid =three

Question 28

What are chordae tedinase and what do they do?

Answer 28

heart strings that connect to the papillary muscles and prevent the mitral and tricuspid vales flipping back into the atria during ventricular contraction

Question 29

Do semilunar valves have chordae tedinase?

Answer 29

no

Question 30

What vein does the heart mostly drain to?

Answer 30

coronary sinus

Question 31

What are branches of the coronary sinus?

Answer 31

great cardiac vein
small cardiac vein
middle cardiac vein
anterior cardiac veins

Question 32

What is CAD?

Answer 32

coronary artery disease - reduced blood flow to myocardium

Question 33

What is ischaemia?

Answer 33

reduced blood flow and oxygen to heart muscle

Question 34

What do the left and right coronary arteries branch into?

Answer 34

LCA -anterior interventricular artery, left marginal artery, left circumflex artery

RCA -posterior interventricular artery, right marginal artery

Question 35

What artery does infarction happen most in?

Answer 35

anterior interventricular artery

Question 36

What is angina pectoris?

Answer 36

chest pain related to CAD

Question 37

What can block arteries?

Answer 37

cholesterol

Question 38

What can ischaemia cause?

Answer 38

collateral circulation (new blood vessels forming to pass around reduced area)

Question 39

What embryological germ does the heart develop from?

Answer 39

mesoderm