Cardiovascular Unit Test

Why is the left side of the heart bigger than the right

left pumps blood to whole body, right only pumps blood to lungs

Why do differences in wall thickness exist?

Different pressures. Veins are under lower pressure, so they don’t need thick walls

Function of the coronary artery

nourish the heart muscle

What structure do atrioventricular valves have that semi-lunar valves don’t?

chordae tendinae

purpose of the tricuspid valve

to prevent backflow from right atrium to right ventricle

function of chordae tendinae

to open atrioventricular valves

What is the opening in the fetal heart called?

foramen ovale

What is the cardiac conduction system?

generates electrical impulses in the heart without a nerve impulse

what is the function of the SA node

initiates an electrical impulse that set the pace for the heart (causes atria to contract)

what is the function of the AV node

delays the impulse from the AV node to allow atria to fully and pump blood into ventricles before they contract

How can an electrical impulse created in an SA node eventually leads to the contraction of the ventricles

SA node initiates contraction, AV node delays and allows ventricles to contract

average range if electrical impulses created by the SA node

60-100 BPM

Sinus rhythm

Normal rate + rhythm of the heart

What would cause the SA node to increase the number of electrical impulses?

exercise, stress, fever, sympathetic nervous system, hormones

what is an EKG?

diagnostic tool to measure electricity of the heart

what does the P wave represent

atrial depolarization (atria contracts)

What does the QRS complex represent?

Ventricular depolarization (contraction of ventricles)

what does the T wave represent?

Ventricular repolarization (ventricles return to resting state)

What should an artificial heart have?

pumping chambers, valves, power source for contracting system and fitness level

Why is ventricular fibrillation more likely to be life-threatening than atrial fibrillation?

Ventricles quiver and are unable to effectively pump blood to vital organs; atria are less critical to blood flow in the body

what is the intrinsic conduction system of the heart

interdependent system of autorythmic cells; muscle contracts without nerve impulses

where is the sinoatrial node?

upper right atrium

arterial pulse

Pressure wave of blood from contraction of ventricles

what makes the lub-dub noises?

Lub = closing AV valves; dub = closing SL valves

systole

peak of ventricular contraction; blood pumped out of heart

diastole

ventricles relax; heart fills with blood

normal blood pressure range

110/60 to 140/90

fibrillation

a condition in which the heart is uncoordinated and useless as a pump

angia pectoris

chest pain; resulting from ischemia of the myocardium

heart block

damage to the AV node, totally or partially releasing the ventricles from the control of the SA node

special features of artery

small round lumen expand/contract

special features of veins

valves; elongated collapsed lumen

special features of capillaries

thin wall for exchange of materials

varicose veins

vascular problem predominant in “standing professions”, overworked values allow blood backflow, twisting the veins

menopause

women have less atherosclerosis than men until this, when estrogen production ends

ischema

lack of adequate blood supply to the heart

myocardial infraction

heart attack; blood vessels to the heart are blocked

circulatory shock

inadequate blood flow throughout body; blood pressure decreases dramatically; tissues/organs shut down

congestive heart failure

heart weakened, pumping efficiency poor, circulation inadequete

thrombophlebitis

clot in legs break free, travel through body

peripheral artery disease

arteries narrow to reduce blood flow to extremities

cerebrovascular accident

blood flow to a portion of the brain is interrupted

endocarditis & myocarditis

inflammation of the heart

congenital heart disease

issue with heart strucutre/function present at birth