the heart Flashcards
what muscle is the heart made out of
cardiac muscle
why is cardiac muscle described as myogenic
contracts and relaxes in rhythm without getting fatigued
what is the function of the coronary arteries
supplies the heart with oxygen and glucose for aerobic respiration
what is the pulmonary vein
comes from the lungs to the heart (left atrium)
describe the blood flow on the left side of the heart
pulmonary vein: supplies oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium
blood passes through bicupsid valve into the left ventricle and flows out through the aorta
how can you remember which heart structures are on the left side
start with letters A-L
describe blood flow in the right side of the heart
blood flows through superior and inferior vena cava into the right atrium
blood passes through tricupsid valve into the right ventricle where it then leaves via pulmonary artery
how can you remember which structures are present in the right side of the heart
letters M-Z
what do the atrioventricular valves link
atria to ventricles
what do semi lunar valves link
ventricles to pulmonary artery and aorta
describe the events during atrial systole
atria contract and ventricles are relaxed
atria contraction decreases volume and increases pressure
blood forced into ventricles via atrioventricular valves causing a slight increase in volume and pressure in the atrium
describe the events during ventricle systole
ventricles contract and atria are relaxed
ventricle contraction decreases volume and increases pressure beyond atria pressure forcing AV valves shut
high pressures force semi lunar valves open and blood is forced out pulmonary artery and aorta
describe the events during diastole
ventricles and atria relax
higher pressures in aorta and pulmonary artery cause semi lunar valves to close
atria begin to fill with blood, and ventricles relax further
when atria pressure exceeds ventricle pressure with enough blood the process begins again
what is cardiac output
the volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute
what are the units for cardiac output
cm3 min-1
