Human Anatomy and Physiology - Cardiovascular System

This set of flashcards covers essential vocabulary related to the Cardiovascular System from Human Anatomy and Physiology.

Heart Anatomy

The structure and composition of the heart.

Pulmonary Circuit

The pathway where the right side of the heart receives oxygen-poor blood and pumps it to the lungs.

Systemic Circuit

The pathway where the left side of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to body tissues.

Right Atrium

The chamber of the heart that receives blood returning from the systemic circuit.

Left Atrium

The chamber of the heart that receives blood returning from the pulmonary circuit.

Right Ventricle

The chamber that pumps blood through the pulmonary circuit.

Left Ventricle

The chamber that pumps blood through the systemic circuit.

Mediastinum

The central compartment of the thoracic cavity where the heart is located.

Pericardium

The double-walled sac that surrounds the heart.

Epicardium

The visceral layer of the serous pericardium, directly covering the heart.

Myocardium

The muscular layer of the heart responsible for contraction.

Endocardium

The innermost layer of the heart wall; continuous with the lining of blood vessels.

Cardiac Skeleton

A crisscrossing layer of connective tissue that supports the heart's structure.

Atria

The two upper chambers of the heart that receive blood.

Ventricles

The two lower chambers of the heart that pump blood out of the heart.

Chambers of the Heart

The four compartments: two atria and two ventricles.

Atrioventricular Valves

Valves located between the atria and ventricles, preventing backflow into the atria.

Semi-Lunar Valves

Valves located between the ventricles and major arteries, preventing backflow into the ventricles.

Tricuspid Valve

The right atrioventricular valve with three cusps.

Mitral Valve

The left atrioventricular valve, also known as the bicuspid valve.

Chordae Tendineae

Strands of connective tissue that anchor AV valves to papillary muscles.

Cardiac Tamponade

A condition caused by excess fluid in the pericardial cavity that compresses the heart.

Pericarditis

Inflammation of the pericardium.

Pacemaker Cells

Non-contractile cells in the heart that spontaneously depolarize and initiate cardiac impulses.

Sinoatrial Node (SA Node)

The primary pacemaker of the heart located in the right atrium.

Atrioventricular Node (AV Node)

A node that delays impulses between the atria and ventricles.

Purkinje Fibers

Fibers that spread impulses through the ventricles for coordinated contraction.

Electrocardiogram (ECG or EKG)

A recording of the electrical activity of the heart.

P Wave

The ECG wave representing atrial depolarization.

QRS Complex

The ECG complex representing ventricular depolarization.

T Wave

The ECG wave representing ventricular repolarization.

Cardiac Cycle

The sequence of events in one heartbeat, including systole and diastole.

Systole

The phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart contracts.

Diastole

The phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart relaxes.

Stroke Volume (SV)

The amount of blood pumped by each ventricle in one contraction.

Cardiac Output (CO)

The volume of blood pumped by each ventricle per minute.

Frank-Starling Law

States that the stroke volume of the heart increases as the end diastolic volume increases.

Afterload

The pressure against which the heart must work to pump blood.

Contractility

The strength of ventricular contraction.

Arrhythmias

Irregular heart rhythms caused by defects in the cardiac conduction system.

Tachycardia

An abnormally fast heart rate over 100 beats per minute.

Bradycardia

A heart rate slower than 60 beats per minute.

Congestive Heart Failure (CHF)

A condition where the heart's pumping ability is inadequate to meet the body's needs.

Isovolumetric Contraction

The phase of the cardiac cycle when ventricles are contracting with no volume change.

Isovolumetric Relaxation

The phase of the cardiac cycle when ventricles are relaxing with no volume change.

Dicrotic Notch

A temporary increase in aortic pressure following closure of the aortic valve.

Coronary Circulation

The functional blood supply to the heart muscle.

Angina Pectoris

Chest pain caused by insufficient blood delivery to the myocardium.

Myocardial Infarction

Heart attack caused by prolonged coronary blockage.