E3P3: Cardiovascular System (AI)

A collection of vocabulary flashcards covering key terms and concepts from the cardiovascular system lecture notes.

Arteries

Vessels that always lead away from the heart and generally have high O2 content; muscular and elastic.

Arterioles

The smallest arteries that provide the greatest site of vascular resistance due to their small size.

Capillaries

Single walled exchange vessels that allow materials to cross their walls.

Veins

Vessels that always lead to the heart and generally have low O2 content; they hold about 60% of the blood volume.

Portal Systems

Systems that have two capillary beds in a series; includes the hepatic portal vein, hypothalamus-pituitary, and kidneys.

Pressure Gradient

The difference in pressure that moves liquids and gases; blood moves from high to low pressure.

Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP)

The average blood pressure over time; calculated as 2/3 DBP + 1/3 SBP.

Pulse Pressure (PP)

The difference between Systolic Blood Pressure (SBP) and Diastolic Blood Pressure (DBP).

Hydrostatic Pressure

The pressure of a non-moving fluid exerted equally in all directions.

Resistance (R)

Opposition to blood flow due to friction and turbulence in blood vessels.

Poiseuille’s Law

Describes the resistance in a tube, specifically R = 8L x n / r^4; small changes in radius greatly affect resistance.

Stroke Volume (SV)

The amount of blood ejected from the heart with each heartbeat; calculated as end-diastolic volume (EDV) minus end-systolic volume (ESV).

Cardiac Output (Q)

The amount of blood ejected from a ventricle in a given time, calculated as SV times heart rate (HR).

Ejection Fraction (EF)

The ratio of blood ejected from the heart compared to the initial volume, calculated as SV/EDV x 100.

Autonomic Nervous System (ANS)

Part of the nervous system that controls involuntary actions, including heart rate and blood vessel diameter.

Frank-Starling Law

The principle that the strength of the heart's contraction is directly related to the initial length of the cardiac muscle fibers.

Calcium Conductance

The flow of calcium ions into heart muscle cells, increasing the strength of contraction and therefore stroke volume.

Total Peripheral Resistance (TPR)

The total resistance to blood flow in the systemic circulation.

Baroreceptor Reflex

A mechanism by which changes in blood pressure are detected and corrected by altering heart rate and vessel diameter.

Myogenic mechanism

Intrinsic regulation of vessel diameter in response to changes in blood pressure or vessel stretch.

Hyperemia

Increased blood flow to a region, can be active due to exercise or reactive after occlusion.

Atherosclerosis

A specific disease characterized by the buildup of cholesterol plaques in blood vessels.

Hypertension

High blood pressure that can cause damage to arterial walls; primary type is idiopathic while secondary is due to known causes.

Hypotension

Low blood pressure that is not an issue unless accompanied by symptoms.

Edema

Swelling of tissues caused by increased hydrostatic pressure, decreased blood proteins, or increased capillary permeability.