Circulatory System: The Heart

Practice flashcards for the Circulatory System and Heart.

Coronal Section of Heart

A vertical plane that divides the heart into anterior and posterior parts.

Brachiocephalic trunk

The major artery that supplies blood to the right arm and the head.

Superior Vena Cava

A large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper body to the right atrium.

Pulmonary trunk

The major vessel that carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs.

Right Auricle

The pouch-like structure that increases the capacity of the right atrium.

Left common carotid artery

An artery that supplies blood to the left side of the head and neck.

Left subclavian artery

The artery that supplies blood to the left arm.

Aortic arch

The part of the aorta that bends between the ascending and descending aorta.

Ligamentum arteriosum

A remnant of the ductus arteriosus that connects the pulmonary artery and aorta.

Thoracic aorta

The section of the aorta that runs through the thorax.

Ascending aorta

The portion of the aorta that rises up from the heart.

Left Auricle

A small pouch on the upper left side of the heart, part of the left atrium.

Pulmonic Valve

The valve that controls blood flow from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery.

Right Atrium

The chamber of the heart that receives deoxygenated blood from the body.

Interventricular septum

The wall dividing the left and right ventricles of the heart.

Tricuspid Valve

The valve between the right atrium and right ventricle with three flaps.

Papillary muscle

Muscles in the ventricles that attach to the heart valves via chordae tendineae.

Right Ventricular Myocardium

The muscular tissue of the right ventricle that contracts to pump blood.

Chordae tendineae

Tendinous cords connecting the papillary muscles to the heart valves.

Left Ventricular Myocardium

The muscular wall of the left ventricle responsible for pumping oxygenated blood.

D. Barlow

Refers to a specific assessment or concept possibly related to cardiac function.

Circulatory System

The system that includes the heart, blood vessels, and blood.

Cardiovascular System

The system that consists of the heart and blood vessels.

Pulmonary Circuit

The circuit that carries blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs.

Systemic Circuit

The circuit that supplies blood to all organs of the body from the left side of the heart.

Mediastinum

The space in the chest between the lungs that contains the heart.

Pericardium

The double-walled sac that surrounds and protects the heart.

Parietal Pericardium

The outer fibrous layer of the pericardium.

Pericardial cavity

The space between the layers of the pericardium filled with fluid.

Visceral Pericardium

The inner layer of the pericardium that covers the heart's surface.

Epicardium

Another name for the visceral pericardium.

Myocardium

The thick muscular layer of the heart wall responsible for contraction.

Endocardium

The smooth inner lining of the heart chambers and valves.

Heart Chambers

The four cavities of the heart: right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, left ventricle.

Atrioventricular Sulcus

The groove that separates the atria from the ventricles.

Anterior Interventricular sulcus

The groove that separates the left and right ventricles at the front of the heart.

Posterior Interventricular sulcus

The groove that separates the left and right ventricles at the back of the heart.

Atrioventricular Valves

Valves situated between the atria and ventricles that help regulate blood flow.

Semilunar Valves

Valves that control blood flow from the heart into the arteries.

Stroke Volume

The amount of blood ejected by the left ventricle in one contraction.

End-Diastolic Volume (EDV)

The total volume of blood in the ventricles just before contraction.

End-Systolic Volume (ESV)

The volume of blood remaining in the ventricles after contraction.

Cardiac Output (CO)

The volume of blood pumped by the heart per minute.

Heart Rate (HR)

The number of beats per minute of the heart.

Ventricular Ejection

The phase of the cardiac cycle where blood is pumped from the ventricles to the arteries.

Isovolumetric Relaxation

The phase where ventricles relax but no blood enters or exits.

Atrial Systole

The contraction of the atria that pushes blood into the ventricles.

Diastole

The relaxation phase when the heart fills with blood.

Systole

The contraction phase when the heart pumps blood out.

Tachycardia

An abnormally high heart rate.

Bradycardia

An abnormally low heart rate.

Chronotropic Effects

Factors that influence heart rate.

Positive Chronotropic Agents

Substances that increase heart rate.

Negative Chronotropic Agents

Substances that decrease heart rate.

Frank-Starling Law of Heart

The principle that the heart will pump as much blood as it receives.

Contractility

The strength of the heart's contraction at a given preload.

Preload

The degree of stretch of heart muscle before contraction.

Afterload

The pressure in the arteries that the heart must work against to pump blood.

Coronary Circulation

The flow of blood to and from the tissues of the heart.

Myocardial Infarction

Heart tissue death due to a lack of blood supply.

Angina Pectoris

Chest pain due to reduced blood flow to the heart.

Pacemaker potential

The gradual depolarization that occurs in the SA node.

Bundle of His

The pathway for electrical signals from the AV node to the ventricles.

Purkinje Fibers

Fibers that distribute the electrical impulse throughout the ventricles.

ECG

Electrocardiogram - a recording of the electrical activity of the heart.

P wave

The wave on the ECG that represents atrial depolarization.

QRS complex

The waveform on the ECG representing ventricular depolarization.

T wave

The wave on the ECG that represents ventricular repolarization.

Dicrotic Notch

A small dip that appears in blood pressure curves after closure of the aortic valve.

Ejection Fraction

The percentage of blood ejected from the ventricle during contraction.

Atrial Fibrillation

A quivering or irregular heartbeat that can lead to blood clots.

Blood Flow Through Heart

The pathway of blood through the heart's chambers and valves.

Vagal Tone

The baseline firing rate of vagal nerves that influences heart rate.

Repolarization

The process in which the heart muscle cells restore the resting membrane potential.

Intercalated Discs

Specialized junctions between cardiac muscle cells that facilitate electrical coupling.

Cardiac Reserve

The maximum percentage increase in cardiac output above resting level.

Aneurysm

An abnormal bulge in the wall of a blood vessel.

Electrolyte Imbalance

An abnormal level of electrolytes in blood affecting heart function.

Sarcoplasmic Reticulum

The specialized endoplasmic reticulum in muscle cells for calcium storage.

Ca2+ channels

Channels in the cardiac muscle cell membrane that allow calcium ions to enter the cell.

Gap Junctions

Specialized connections between cardiac cells that allow electrical signals to pass.

Pressure Gradient

The difference in pressure between two points that causes fluid flow.

Diaphragm

The muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity.

Ventricular Hypertrophy

The thickening of the heart's ventricular walls often due to increased workload.

Endocarditis

Inflammation of the inner layer of the heart.

Aortic Stenosis

Narrowing of the aortic valve that obstructs blood flow from the heart.

Heart Block

An interruption in the electrical signals in the heart.

Mitral Valve Prolapse

When the mitral valve doesn't close properly, allowing some blood to leak backward.

Dilated Cardiomyopathy

A condition where the heart becomes enlarged and weakened.