Cardiovascular System and Oxygen Transport Dynamics

A set of vocabulary flashcards covering the components of the cardiovascular system, hemodynamics, and the dynamics of oxygen transport as outlined in the lecture notes.

Hematocrit

The volume percentage of red blood cells in the total blood volume.

Open circulatory system

A system in which blood is not always contained within vessels and directly bathes the organs.

Closed circulatory system

A system where blood is confined within a continuous network of vessels and kept separate from interstitial fluid.

Single circulatory system

A system where blood passes through the heart only once during each complete circuit of the body.

Double circulatory system

A system where blood passes through the heart twice during each complete circuit, involving separate pulmonary and systemic pathways.

Systole

The phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood out of the chambers.

Diastole

The phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart muscle relaxes and the chambers fill with blood.

ECG (Electrocardiogram)

A recording of the heart's electrical activity that corresponds to specific mechanical motions of the heart.

Capillaries

Microscopic vessels where the exchange of gases, nutrients, and waste occurs between blood and interstitial fluid.

Lymphatic system

A network of vessels that assists the circulatory system by returning fluid from the tissues back to the blood.

Extrinsic pathway

A clotting cascade initiated by factors outside the blood vessels, often due to tissue damage.

Intrinsic pathway

A clotting cascade initiated by factors within the blood itself.

Alveoli

Tiny air sacs within the lungs where the exchange of oxygen and carbon dioxide takes place.

Surfactants

Substances that reduce surface tension within the alveoli to prevent lung collapse during exhalation.

Oxygen dissociation curves

Graphical representations showing the reversible binding affinity of $O_2$ to hemoglobin under various conditions.

Ventilation-perfusion matching

The physiological process of balancing the amount of air reaching the alveoli with the blood flow reaching the pulmonary capillaries.

Bohr Effect

The phenomenon where pH, temperature, and $CO_2$ concentrations affect the affinity of hemoglobin for $O_2$.