The heart and blood Flashcards

1
Q

Name six substances that are transported in the blood.

A
  • Oxygen
  • Carbon dioxide
  • Glucose
  • Urea
  • Hormones
  • Antibodies
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2
Q

What is the function (job) of the vena cava?

A

A vein that carries deoxygenated blood to the heart from the body’s systems

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3
Q

How does blood enter the heart?

A

Through veins

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4
Q

How does blood leave the heart?

A

Through arteries

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5
Q

What is the function (job) of the pulmonary vein?

A

Carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart

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6
Q

What is the function (job) of the aorta?

A

An artery that carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the body

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7
Q

What is the function (job) of the pulmonary artery?

A

Carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs

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8
Q

Where does blood from the vena cava enter the heart?

A

Through the right atrium

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9
Q

Where does blood from the pulmonary vein enter the heart?

A

Through the left atrium

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10
Q

What is the function (job) of the heart valves between the atria and ventricles?

A

Prevents blood from flowing back into the atria

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11
Q

Humans have a double circulatory system. What are the two circuits?

A
  • Pulmonary circulation (lungs)

- Systemic circulation (rest of the body)

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12
Q

Why is the pulmonary circulation under low pressure?

A

Because the lungs are close to the heart

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13
Q

What are two ways that faulty heart valves can be replaced?

A
  • with a biological valve from a human donor or made from animal tissue from a pig or cow
  • with a mechanical valve made from strong, durable materials
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14
Q

How does the heart beat independently from the nervous system?

A

Specialised cells in the right atrium generate electrical signals that make the heart contract, and act as a natural pacemaker

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15
Q

What is an artificial pacemaker?

A

A medical device that uses electrical impulses to regulate heart beats

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16
Q

Describe the structure of the arteries.

A
  • Thick and elasticated walls
  • Lots of connective tissue to provide strength
  • Narrow lumen (channel that carries blood)
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17
Q

Describe the structure of the veins.

A
  • Thin walls
  • Much less muscular tissue than arteries
  • Less connective tissue than arteries
  • Wide lumen (channel that carries blood)
18
Q

What is plasma?

A

A straw-coloured liquid that makes up just over half the volume of blood.

19
Q

What are some useful things contained in the blood plasma?

A
  • Glucose
  • Amino acids
  • Vitamins and minerals
  • Hormones
  • Waste products, e.g. urea
20
Q

What are three types of blood cell and cell fragments?

A
  • Red blood cells
  • White blood cells
  • Platelets
21
Q

What is the function (job) of the red blood cells?

A

Transporting oxygen

22
Q

What is the function (job) of the white blood cells?

A

Ingesting pathogens and producing antibodies

23
Q

What is the function (job) of platelets?

A

Involved in blood clotting

24
Q

What is the function (job) of the pigment haemoglobin in red blood cells?

A

Haemoglobin can combine reversibly with oxygen (creating oxyhaemoglobin)

25
Q

Describe FOUR ways that red blood cells are adapted for the transport of oxygen.

A
  • No nucleus, so more room for haemoglobin
  • Small and flexible, so they can fit through narrow capillaries
  • Biconcave shape, to maximise their surface area for absorbing oxygen
  • Thin, creating a short diffusion distance for oxygen
26
Q

What is the function (job) of phagocytes?

A

Phagocytes engulf and destroy unwanted microorganisms by phagocytosis

27
Q

What is the function (job) of lymphocytes?

A

Lymphocytes produce soluble proteins called antibodies when a foreign body such as a microorganism enters the body

28
Q

What are the two ways that platelets stop bleeding?

A
  • they have proteins on their surface that enable them to stick to breaks in a blood vessel and clump together
  • they secrete proteins that result in a series of chemical reactions that make blood clot, which plugs a wound.
29
Q

When people donate blood, it must first be screened before it is used in blood transfusions.
What three things might blood be screened for?

A
  • infectious agents such as HIV
  • their blood group
  • the presence of certain antibodies
30
Q

When blood is examined under the microscope, cells must first be stained.
Giemsa stain is commonly used.
What colour does Giemsa stain red blood cells, white blood cells and platelets?

A

Giemsa stains:

  • red blood cells pink
  • platelets pale pink
  • white blood cell cytoplasm pale blue
  • white blood cell nuclei magenta
31
Q

What substance can block coronary arteries, leading to a heart attack?

A

Cholesterol

32
Q

What is the function (job) of statins? How do they do this?

A

Statins are drugs that help to lower cholesterol in the blood.

They do this by lowering its production in the liver.

33
Q

What is a stent?

A

A device used to keep a narrow or blocked coronary artery open

34
Q

What are stents made from? Why?

A

Stents are made from metal alloys, and do not lead to an immune response in the patient

35
Q

Why will someone have to take immunosuppresant drugs following a heart transplant?

A

This prevents the person’s immune system from rejecting the donor heart

36
Q

What are some disadvantages of using statins to treat heart disease?

A
  • Not suitable for people with liver disease.
  • Some side effects.
  • Must be taken for life.
37
Q

What are some disadvantages of using heart transplants to treat coronary heart disease?

A
  • Few donor hearts are available
  • Recovery time is long
  • Risk of infection
38
Q

What are some disadvantages of using replacement heart valves to treat coronary heart disease?

A
  • Biological valves may wear out

- Blood clots may stick to mechanical valves, so anti-blood clotting drugs need to be taken

39
Q

What is the equation for calculating cardiac output?

A

Cardiac output = heart rate x stroke volume

40
Q

What is cardiac output?

A

The amount of blood pumped by the heart in one minute.

41
Q

Where in the heart are pacemaker cells found?

A

In the right atrium

42
Q

Digitalis is a drug that slows the heart rate.

Where does digitalis originate from?

A

Foxgloves