Physiology Flashcards
2 populations of cardiac cells
Conducting tissue
- modified non-contractile (autorhythmic) cells
- generate and conduct impulses
- lead to electrical activation of myocardial cells
Working myocardial cells
- involuntary, striated cells with contractility properties
- modulte pumping activity of heart
4 properties of cardiac muscle
- Automaticity (Autorhythmicity)
- Conductivity
- Excitability
- Contractility
Action potentials per minute of the conducting system of heart
- SA node: ~100 (normal: ~70)
- AV node: 40-60
- Bundle of His & Purkinje fibers: 20-40
Why is the SA node the normal pacemaker of the heart?
Because its discharge rate is the fastest
The other autorhythmic tissues cannot assume their own rates, because they are activated by the action potentials originating in the SA node before they can reach firing level at their own slower rhythm.
What is sinus rhythm?
If the heart is beating according to the SA nodal rythm, it is also called a sinus rhythm.
Development origins: Sino-atrial = sinus venosus + atria
What is an anatomical syncytium?
a tissue where cell membranes of individual cells disappear - multinucleated cell mass with no boundaries among the cells
What is the functional syncytium?
Although heart is made up of many cells with intact cell membranes, the heart behaves as if it were a single cell, it acts as a functional syncytium.
- this is due to presence of ‘gap functions’ (low resistance intercellular connections) between the cardiac cells (myocytes)
- the current (flow of positive charges) spreads through the gap junctions from one cell to another - rapid cell to cell conduction of impulse (action potential) to all atrial or ventricular myocytes - all or none response
What is the significance of AV nodal delay?
It ensures that ventricles are activated only after atrial activation for complete ventricular filling with blood
What is the significance of AV bundle?
Because of the fibrous skeleton between the atria and the ventricles, cell to cell conduction cannot occur between atria and the ventricles. AV bundle is the only electrical link between the atria and the ventricles.
What is the significance of Purkinje fibers?
It is the fastest impulse conduction.
For rapid transmission of impulse throughout ventricles to obtain simultaneous contraction of all ventricular muscles.
Relaxation of heart
Removal of Ca2+ from intracellular fluid, ICF by
- Ca2+ pump in the longitudinal portion of sarcoplasmic reticulum (into the SR storage)
- Na-Ca exchange in cell membrane (into ECF)
Why tetanus does not affect myocytes?
Due to prolonged absolute refractory period. Myocytes has longer refractory period than skeletal muscles to make sure muscle has relaxed before it can respond.
Effects of hyperkalemia
Decrease in Resting membrane potential - depolarization which is not followed by repolarization - defective conductivity and graual loss of excitability - heart block and decreases heart rate - dilated and flaccid heart and finally stoppage of heart in diastole
Effects of hypercalcemia
Increase in calcium concentration in ECF - increases myocardial contractility; with marked increase in serum calcium, heart relaxes less in diastole and finally stops in systole (calcium rigor)
Effects of hypernatremia
Increase in sodium concentration in ECF - decreases myocardial contractiliy because sodium competes with calcium in contractile process
What is cardiac cycle
Sequence of electric and mechanical events occuring in heart during a single beat.
What is systole & diastole and their duration
Systole: period of ventricular contraction
- 0.3s
Diastole: period of ventricular relaxation
- 0.5s
Total duration: 0.8s one cycle
What is “lub” & “dup” sound
“Lub”: closure ot tricuspid and mitral valve
“dup”: closure of aortic & pulmonary valve
What are the pericordial leads located at
- V1: right to the sternum, 4th ICSpace
- V2: left to sternum, 4th ICSpace
- V3: 5th ICS, between V2 & V4
- V4: 5th ICS, left midclavicular line
- V5: 5th ICS, left anterior axillary line
- V6: 5th ICS, left mid axillary line
What does p, pr segment, q, r, s, t, st segment in ECG means?
p wave: atrial depolarization
PR segment: atrial depolarization but no net movement
q wave: septal depolarization
r wave: ventricular depolarization
s wave: ventricular depolarization (up to base)
ST segment: whole heart depolarized
t wave: ventricular repolarization
What are the 12 leads and which area they indicate?
Lead I: high lateral wall of left ventricles
Lead II: inferior wall of heart
Lead III: inferior wall of heart
avR: right ventricle + basal septum
avL: high lateral wall of left ventricles
avF: inferior wall of heart
V1: right ventricle
V2: right ventricle / basal septum / anterior wall of heart
V3: right ventricle / basal septum / anterior wall of heart
V4: Anterior wall of heart
V5: lateral wall of left ventricle
V6: lateral wall of left ventricle
ECG basics
Positive charges towards + : upward deflection
Positive charges away from + : downward deflection
Negative charges towards - : upward deflection
Negative chages away from -: downward deflection
— on ECG: no net movement / electrical activity is perpendicular to the axis of lead
Duration of PR interval, QRS complex QT interval
PR interval: <0.2s (1 large box)
QRS complex: <0.12s (3 small box)
QT interval:
- male: <0.43s
- female: <0.45s
R wave and S wave pattern through V1 - V6
R wave getting bigger from V1 to V6
S wave getting smaller from V1 to V6
What is cardiac output and its equation
Cardiac output is the volume of blood pumped out by each ventricle in one minute (mil/min)
CO = HR X SV
HR = number of ventricular contractions per minute (beats/min)
SV = volume of blood pumped out by each ventricle per contraction (mil/beat)
Cardiac output of 2 ventricles are equal
systemic blood flow = pulmonary blood flow
5L/min
What is the normal heart rate in infants, adults, elderly. Heart rate of tachycardia and bradycardia?
Normal heart rate: 60-100 beats/min
Infants: 130/min (120-140)
Bradycardia: <60/min
Tachycardia: >100/min
What is the effect of vagal tone & vasomotor area
Vagal tone (cardiac inihibitory centre): parasympathetic (vagus) - Acth - muscarinic - decreases HR
Vasomotor area: sympathetic - NE, Epinephrine - beta 1 - increases HR
What is chronotropic effect
+ve chronotropic effect: increase heart rate
(sympathetic tone)
-ve chronotropic effect: decreases heart rate
(vagal tone - PSNS)
Factors influencing the heart rate
Factors acting reflexly on SA node
1. sympathetic nervous system (+ve chronotropic) - vasomotor area
2. parasympathetic nervous system (-ve chronotropic) - vagal tone - cardiac inhibitory centre
Factors acting directly on SA node
1. T3 & T4 - thyroid hormones (+ve chronotropic)
2. body temperature (+ve chronotropic)
3. increase Ca (+ve chronotropic)
4. decrease Ca (-ve chronotropic)
5. increase K (-ve chronotropic)
6. peripheral chemoreceptors - increase HR (+ chronotropic) due to decrease PO2, increase PCO2, decrease pH
7. Age (fetus, infants, elderly)
8. Atrial Bainbridge reflex (+ve chronotropic): increase venous return, increase stretch, SA node, increase HR
9. Pressure on the eyeball (-ve chronotropic): increase vagal tone
10. punching the abdomen (-ve chronotropic): increase vagal tone
What is inotropic effect
+ve inotropic effect: increases contractility
-ve inotropic effect: decreases contractility
What is Frank-Starling law
The energy contraction is proportional to its initial length of the cardiac muscle fiber (the muslce length just before contraction)
- greater the stretch, greater the force of contraction, increase preload, increase stroke volume
What is heterometric and homometric regulation
Heterometric regulation: regulation of cardiac output by changing the cardiac muscle fiber length
Homometric regulation: regulation of cardiac output by changing the contractility independent of cardiac muscle fiber length
Frank-starling curve association with inotropic effect
+ve inotropic agent: shift curve upward and left
-ve inotropic agent: shift curve downward and right
What are the factors regulating Stroke volume
- Preload: degree to which the myocardium is stretched before it contracts
- Contractility (inotropic)
- Afterload: resistance that needs to be overcome for ventricles to pump blood
- preload increases stroke volume
- contractility increases stroke volume
- afterload decreases stroke volume