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MCAT Biology Review > The Cardiovascular System > Flashcards

The Cardiovascular System Flashcards

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1
Q

Pulmonary circulation

A

Right side of heart accepts deoxygenated blood returning from body and moves it to lungs through pulmonary arteries

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2
Q

Systemic circulation

A

Left side of heart receives oxygenated blood from lungs through pulmonary veins and forces it out to body through aorta

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3
Q

Atrioventricular valves

A

Valves that separate the atria from the ventricles
Consists of the tricuspid valve (three leaflets) between the right atrium and right ventricle, and the bicuspid/mitral valve (two leaflets) between the left atrium and left ventricle

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4
Q

Semilunar valves

A

Valves that separate ventricles from the vasculature, such as the pulmonary valve (separates right ventricle from pulmonary circulation) and aortic valve (separates the left ventricle from the aorta), both valves having three leaflets

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5
Q

Order of excitation of electrical conduction in heart

A

Sinoatrial (SA) node, atrioventricular (AV) node, bundle of His (AV bundle) and its branches, and Purkinje fibers

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6
Q

SA node

A

Where electrical impulse initiates without neurological input, found in wall of right atrium

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7
Q

Atrial systole

A

Contraction of both atria that results in an increase in atrial pressure to force a little more blood into ventricles (known as atrial kick), accompanied by majority of ventricle filling that is passive (blood moves from atria to ventricles based solely on ventricular relaxation)

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8
Q

AV node

A

Sits at the junction of atria and ventricles, signal reaches here after depolarization spreads from SA node, signal is delayed here to allow for ventricles to fill completely before contraction

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9
Q

Bundle of His

A

Embedded in the interventricular septum (wall), signal travels down here after AV node and then travels to Purkinje fibers after, both areas distributing electrical signal through ventricular muscle

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10
Q

Intercalated discs

A

Contains many gap junctions that directly connect cytoplasm of adjacent muscle cells, allowing for coordinated ventricular contraction

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11
Q

Electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG)

A

Recording of the heart’s electrical impulses, which are detected by placing electrodes on the skin on opposite sides of the heart

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12
Q

Systole

A

Ventricular contraction and closure of AV valves as blood is pumped out of ventricles

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13
Q

Diastole

A

Ventricles are relaxed, semilunar valves are closed, and blood from atria fills the ventricles

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14
Q

Cardiac output (CO)

A

The total blood volume pumped by a ventricle in a minute, product of heart rate (HR) and stroke volume (SV)

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15
Q

Myocardial infarction (heart attack)

A

Caused by lack of bloodflow through the coronary arteries, leading to decreased oxygen delivery to cardiac muscle itself

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16
Q

S1

A

The first heart sound is produced when the two AV valves close at the start of systole to prevent backflow into atria

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17
Q

S2

A

The second heart sound is produced when the two semilunar valves close at the end of systole to prevent backflow into ventricles

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18
Q

Ventricular tachycardia (v-tach)

A

Dangerous condition that features very rapid rate of ventricular contraction, the heart cannot properly fill with blood and stops pumping blood, dropping systemic pressures and possibly leading to death

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19
Q

Order of vasculature in body from heart and back

A

Arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, veins

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20
Q

Arteries

A

Move blood away from the heart to lungs and other parts of body, most contain oxygenated blood (except for pulmonary and umbilical arteries), highly muscular and elastic

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21
Q

Capillaries

A

Vessels with single endothelial cell layer and red blood cells must pass through in single-file line, walls allow for easy diffusion of gases, nutrients, and wastes

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22
Q

Veins

A

Thin-walled, inelastic vesicles that transport blood to the heart, and all of them carry deoxygenated blood except for pulmonary and umbilical veins, have smaller amount of smooth muscle

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23
Q

Varicose veins

A

Form as a result of failure of venous valves that prevent backflow of blood that goes to the heart, distended where blood has pooled

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24
Q

Pulmonary emboli

A

Blood clots, formed by inactivity or hypercoagulable state or deep injury, that may dislodge and travel into the lungs, blocking segments of the pulmonary arteries to produce rapid, labored breathing and chest pain

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25
Q

Deep vein thrombosis

A

Clot in the deep veins of the leg as a result of lack of external force applied to generate pressure to push blood towards heart

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26
Q

Superior and inferior venae cavae (SVC & IVC)

A

These venae cavae return blood to right atrium of the heart from the rest of the body, superior one returns blood from portions of body above the heart, inferior one returns blood from portions of body below the heart

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27
Q

Order of bloodflow

A

Right atrium (through tricuspid valve) to right ventricle (through pulmonary valve) to pulmonary artery to lungs to pulmonary veins to left atrium (through mitral valve) to left ventricle (through aortic valve) to aorta to arteries to arterioles to capillaries to venules to veins to venae cavae and back

28
Q

Portal system

A

Blood passes through two capillary beds in series before returning to heart

29
Q

Hepatic portal system

A

Blood leaving capillary beds in walls of gut passes through hepatic portal vein before reaching capillary beds in liver

30
Q

Hypophyseal portal system

A

Blood leaving capillary beds in hypothalamus travels to capillary bed in anterior pituitary

31
Q

Renal portal system

A

Blood leaving glomerulus travels through efferent arteriole before surrounding nephron in capillary network called vasa recta

32
Q

Plasma

A

The liquid portion of blood, can be further refined into serum through removal of clotting factors

33
Q

Erythrocyte (red blood cell)

A

Specialized cell designed for oxygen transport, contains hemoglobin, which each can bind 4 molecules of oxygen, contain no membrane-bound organelles or nucleus, can live for 120 days in bloodstream

34
Q

Hematocrit

A

Measure of how much of the blood sample consists of red blood cells (41-53% for males and 36-46% for females)

35
Q

Hemoglobin

A

Measures quantity of hemoglobin in blood (13.5-17.5 g/dL in males and 12-16 g/dL in females)

36
Q

Leukocyte (white blood cell)

A

Defenders against pathogens, foreign cells, cancer, comprise less than 1% of total blood volume

37
Q

Types of leukocytes

A

Granulocytes (neutrophils, eosinophils, basophils) and agranulocytes (lymphocytes, monocytes)

38
Q

Specific immune response

A

The body’s targeted fight against particular pathogens, lymphocytes have an important role as primary responders against an infection or as maintaining a long-term memory bank of pathogen recognition

39
Q

Lymphocyte maturation

A

Those that mature in the bone marrow are B-cells, which are responsible for antibody generation, and those that mature in the thymus are T-cells, which kill virally infected cells and activate other immune cells

40
Q

Monocytes

A

Agranulocytes that phagocytize foreign matter, once they leave the bloodstream and enter an organ they are renamed macrophages (microglia in CNS, Langerhans cells in skin, osteoclasts in bone)

41
Q

Platelets (thrombocytes)

A

Cell fragments or shards release from cells in bone marrow called megakaryocytes, assisting in blood clotting

42
Q

Hematopoiesis

A

Production of blood cells and platelets, triggered by number of hormones, growth factors and cytokines (including erythropoietin and thrombopoietin)

43
Q

Erythropoietin

A

Secreted by the kidney and stimulates mainly red blood cell development

44
Q

Thrombopoietin

A

Secreted by the liver and stimulates mainly platelet development

45
Q

Antigen

A

Specific surface target protein to which the immune system can react, can be expressed in red blood cells as ABO antigens and Rh factor

46
Q

Universal donors

A

People with type O blood as type O blood cells express neither antigen A or antigen B, thus not initiating any immune response regardless of the recipient’s actual blood type (most common US blood type is O+)

47
Q

Universal recipients

A

People with type AB blood as they can receive blood from all blood types since they contain both A and B antigens (least common US blood type is AB-)

48
Q

Rh factor

A

Rh+ or Rh- refers to presence or absence of D allele, and Rh-positivity is autosomal dominant

49
Q

Erythroblastosis fetalis

A

Any pregnancy after the first one, in which the mother is Rh- and the fetus is Rh+, presents a problem as maternal anti-Rh antibodies can cross the placenta and attack fetal blood cells, which could be fatal to the fetus (can be treated by RhoGAM to absorb fetal Rh+ cells to prevent production of anti-Rh antibodies)

50
Q

Hypertension

A

High blood pressure that may result in damage to the blood vessels and organs

51
Q

Blood pressure

A

Measure of the force per unit area exerted on the wall of the blood vessels, can be expressed as a ratio of the systolic (ventricular contraction) to diastolic (ventricular relaxation) pressures

52
Q

Sphygamomanometer

A

Instrument that measures the gauge pressure in the systemic circulation (above atmospheric pressure)

53
Q

Circulation equation

A

Delta P = CO x TPR
Delta P is the pressure differential across circulation, CO is cardiac output, TPR is the total peripheral (vascular) resistance
Similar to Ohm’s law (V = IR)

54
Q

Oxygen saturation

A

Percentage of hemoglobin molecules carrying oxygen, most healthy people have above 97% oxygen saturation

55
Q

Cooperative binding of oxygen in hemoglobin

A

As first oxygen binds to heme group, it induces a conformational shift in shape of hemoglobin from taut to relaxed, increasing hemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen and making it easier for oxygen to bind, creating a positive feedback mechanism. The removal of one molecule of oxygen will also induce a conformational shift, decreasing overall affinity for oxygen, making it easier for other oxygen molecules to leave heme groups

56
Q

Carbonic anhydrase

A

Enzyme in red blood cell that catalyzes combination reaction between carbon dioxide and water to form carbonic acid (H2CO3), which as a weak acid will disassociate into a proton and the bicarbonate anion (HCO3-), which are both more soluble in water that nonpolar carbon dioxide

57
Q

Bohr effect

A

Increased H+ concentration, or decreased pH, leads to increased binding of protons to hemoglobin, reducing hemoglobin’s affinity for oxygen, shifting oxyhemoglobin curve to right, representing greater unloading of oxygen into tissues as a result of greater oxygen demand during events like exercise

58
Q

Renal tubular acidosis type I

A

The kidney is unable to excrete acid effectively, leading to buildup of protons in blood, which causes the buffer system to shift to the left and lead to excess of CO2 to be exhaled, and the person can increase respiratory rate to compensate to bring pH back to normal

59
Q

Hydrostatic pressure

A

Force per unit area that blood exerts against the vessel walls, generated by the contraction of the heart and elasticity of the arteries, pushes fluid out of the bloodstream and into the interstitium through capillary walls

60
Q

Osmotic pressure

A

The “sucking” pressure generated by solutes as they attempt to draw water into the bloodstream, usually called oncotic pressure as most of it is attributable to plasma proteins

61
Q

Starling forces

A

Balance of hydrostatic and oncotic pressures, as hydrostatic pressure is much larger than oncotic pressure at the arteriole end of a capillary bed (net efflux of water from the circulation), while as fluid moves out of the vessels, the hydrostatic pressure drops significantly and the oncotic pressure becomes higher (net influx of water back into circulation at venules)

62
Q

Edema

A

Accumulation of excess fluid in interstitium

63
Q

Clots

A

Composed of both coagulation factors (proteins) and platelets, preventing blood loss, aggregating in response to being in contact with exposed collagen (with platelets)

64
Q

Coagulation factors

A

Secreted by the liver, sense tissue factor and initiate a complex activation cascade, whose endpoint is the activation of prothrombin to form thrombin by thromboplastin, and this thrombin

65
Q

Thrombin

A

Generated from prothrombin by thromboplastin at end of complex activation cascade, can convert fibrinogen to fibrin which aggregates into a woven structure that captures red blood cells and platelets to form a stable clot over area of damage

66
Q

Plasmin

A

Generated from plasminogen and acts in breaking down clots

MCAT Biology Review (10 decks)

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