Cardiovascular System

Arteries

Transports oxygenated blood away from the heart towards distal organs/tissues 

Veins

Transport deoxygenated blood towards the heart away from the distal organs/tissues

Capillaries

Connect arteries to veins, responsible for gaseous exchange

Blood pressure

Driving force that moves blood throughout the circulatory system and allows it to reach vital organs

Stroke volume

Volume of blood leaving the heart each beat (70 ml at rest) 

Heart rate

Number of complete cardiac cycles in one minute (70 bm at rest)

Cardiac output

Volume of blood leaving the heart per minute (5l at rest)  - Q = SV x HR 

End diastolic volume

Amount of blood in the ventricles before contraction 

End systolic volume

Amount of blood in the ventricles after contraction 

Ejection fraction

Percentage of EDV ejected during each contraction (70ml SV/120ml EDV) = 58% 

Preload

Level of stretch of the ventricles before contraction, caused by blood returning and filling the heart (increased in heart failure and regurgitation of cardiac valves) 

Contractility

Strength at a given length of muscle, dependant of amount of calcium present

Afterload

Force that impedes ventricular contraction, caused by vessel pressure (increased in hypertension and vasoconstriction – leads to increased cardiac workload) 

P wave

Indicates atrial depolarization

PR interval

Time between atrial and ventricular contraction

QRS complex

Reflects ventricular contraction

ST segment

Period between ventricular contraction and repolarization

T wave

Ventricular recovery

Atherosclerosis

Thickening of the arteries caused by a build-up of plaque in artery lining + vessel walls 

Percutaneous Coronary Intervention (PCI)

Using a balloon and stent to increase lumen of the narrowed artery 

Primary PCI (PPCI)

More specialised treatment for an active MI(STEMI) 

Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG)

A graft is taken from the radial artery (arm), the saphenous vein (leg) or chest left internal mammary artery (LIMA)