The Cardiac Cycle

Question 1

What is cardiac output

Answer 1

The volume of blood pumps by one ventricle of the heart in one minute

Question 2

What is cardiac output measured in

Answer 2

dm3min-1

Question 3

What is stroke volume

Answer 3

The volume of blood pumped out at each heart beat

Question 4

How do you workout cardiac output

Answer 4

Heart rate x stroke volume

Question 5

What is the cardiac cycle

Answer 5

The cardiac cycle refers to the complete heartbeat from its generation to the begging of the next heart beat

Question 6

Describe atrial and ventricular diastole and systole

Answer 6

The atria contract whilst the ventricles are relaxed. This causes a higher relative pressure in the atria, forcing blood through already open atrioventricular valves into ventricles. The atria than undergoes diastole and the ventricles contract. The higher relative pressure in the ventricles forces the ventricular valves to shut. This causes a higher relative pressure in the ventricles, compared to the aorta and pulmonary artery which forces the semilunar valves to open. The ventricles then relax so that both the atria and ventricles are in diastole.