The pulse Flashcards
What is the pulse?
A pressure wave which is generated from the heart each time the left ventricle pumps blood into the aorta.
An increase in pressure causes what t happen in the arteries?
They dilate slightly as the blood travels through them. (this is the pulse)
Where on the body can the pulse be felt? (5)
Radial artery Carotid artery Femoral artery Brachial artery Temporal artery
How is cardiac hypertrophy characterised?
By a large ventricular wall and a thicker myocardium (cardiac tissue).
What are larger in endurance athlete’s hearts?
Their ventricular cavities.
What part of a strength athlete’s heart is thicker?
The ventricle’s walls.
If a person’s heart rate is lower than 60 BPM what has occurred?
Bradycardia.
What happens to the contractility of the myocardium of trained athletes? How is this shown?
It increases. Shown in the increase in the ejection fraction.
What is the formula to calculate someone’s ejection fraction?
Stroke volume/The volume of blood in the ventricles in the diastolic phase.
What is the average ejection fraction?
60%
What is the average ejection fraction after training of the heart?
The ejection fraction can reach 85%
Why does the cardiac output of athletes during exercise improve after training?
There is an increase in stroke volume due to the volume of the left ventricle being larger. Also hypertrophy means that more blood is being ejected out of the heart with more force.
Why is there a longer diastolic phase in trained elite athletes?
They have a larger volume of their left ventricle.
What aspect of the heart does not improve after training?
The athlete’s resting cardiac output.
An increase in the volume of the left ventricle causes what to happen to the cardiac fibres?
The cardiac fibres stretch and the strength of contraction increases.
