cardiovascular
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Flashcard Reviewer: The Cardiovascular System
Format:
* Q: Question based on the provided text.
* A: Answer based on the provided text.
Q: What is the cardiovascular system?
A: A closed system consisting of the heart and blood vessels.
Q: What is the primary function of the heart?
A: To pump blood.
Q: What is the role of blood vessels?
A: To allow blood to circulate to all parts of the body.
Q: What are the main functions of the cardiovascular system regarding delivery and removal?
A: To deliver oxygen and nutrients, and to remove carbon dioxide and other waste products.
Q: Where is the heart located?
A: In the thorax, between the lungs.
Q: Which way does the apex (pointed end) of the heart point?
A: Toward the left hip.
Q: What is the approximate size and weight of the human heart?
A: About the size of a fist and less than 1 lb.
Q: What is the double serous membrane covering the heart called?
A: The Pericardium.
Q: What is found in the space between the layers of the pericardium?
A: Serous fluid.
Q: How many layers make up the heart wall? Name them from outside to inside.
A: Three layers: Epicardium (outside), Myocardium (middle), Endocardium (inner).
Q: Describe the Epicardium based on the text.
A: The outside layer of the heart wall, identified in the text as the parietal pericardium (visceral layer), and a connective tissue layer.
Q: Describe the Myocardium.
A: The middle layer of the heart wall, composed mostly of cardiac muscle.
Q: Describe the Endocardium.
A: The inner layer of the heart wall, made of endothelium.
Q: How do the right and left sides of the heart function relative to each other?
A: They act as separate pumps.
Q: How many chambers are in the heart?
A: Four chambers.
Q: What are the receiving chambers called? Name them.
A: Atria (singular: atrium). Right atrium and Left atrium.
Q: What are the discharging (pumping) chambers called? Name them.
A: Ventricles. Right ventricle and Left ventricle.
Q: What is the primary function of heart valves?
A: To allow blood to flow in only one direction and prevent backflow.
Q: How many valves are in the heart?
A: Four valves.
Q: What are the valves located between the atria and ventricles called?
A: Atrioventricular (AV) valves.
Q: What is the name of the left AV valve?
A: Bicuspid valve (also called Mitral valve).
Q: What is the name of the right AV valve?
A: Tricuspid valve.
Q: What are the valves located between the ventricles and the major arteries called?
A: Semilunar valves.
Q: Name the two semilunar valves.
A: Pulmonary semilunar valve and Aortic semilunar valve.
Q: What structures hold the AV valves in place and prevent them from inverting?
A: Chordae tendineae ("heart strings").
Q: Which major vessel leaves the left ventricle?
A: Aorta.
Q: Which major vessels leave the right ventricle?
A: Pulmonary arteries.
Q: Which major vessels enter the right atrium?
A: Vena cava (Superior and Inferior).
Q: Which major vessels enter the left atrium?
A: Pulmonary veins (four of them).
Q: Does the blood flowing through the heart chambers nourish the heart muscle itself?
A: No.
Q: What system provides the heart muscle (myocardium) with its own blood supply?
A: The coronary circulation system.
Q: What vessels supply blood TO the myocardium?
A: Coronary arteries.
Q: What vessels drain blood FROM the myocardium?
A: Cardiac veins.
Q: Where do the cardiac veins ultimately empty their blood?
A: Into the right atrium via the coronary sinus.
Q: What condition is described as chest pain resulting from inadequate blood supply to the heart, potentially linked to a rapid heartbeat?
A: Angina Pectoris.
Q: What system allows the heart muscle to contract regularly without external nerve impulses?
A: The intrinsic conduction system (nodal system).
Q: What is the primary pacemaker of the heart and where is it located?
A: The Sinoatrial (SA) node, located in the right atrium.
Q: List the structures of the intrinsic conduction system in the order the impulse travels.
A: SA node -> Atrioventricular (AV) node -> Atrioventricular bundle (Bundle of His) -> Bundle branches (right and left) -> Purkinje fibers.
Q: Where is the Atrioventricular (AV) node located?
A: At the junction of the atria and ventricles.
Q: What does the P wave on an EKG/ECG represent?
A: The impulse spreading across the atria (atrial depolarization).
Q: What does the QRS complex on an EKG/ECG represent?
A: The spread of the impulse down the septum and through the ventricles via the Purkinje fibers (ventricular depolarization).
Q: What does the T wave on an EKG/ECG represent?
A: The end of electrical activity in the ventricles (ventricular repolarization).
Q: Describe the sequence of contraction/relaxation in the cardiac cycle.
A: Atria contract simultaneously, then relax; then ventricles contract simultaneously.
Q: What term means heart muscle contraction?
A: Systole.
Q: What term means heart muscle relaxation?
A: Diastole.
Q: Define Cardiac Output (CO).
A: The amount of blood pumped by each side (ventricle) of the heart in one minute.
Q: What is the formula for Cardiac Output?
A: CO = Heart Rate (HR) x Stroke Volume (SV).
Q: Define Stroke Volume (SV).
A: The volume of blood pumped by each ventricle in one contraction (beat).
Q: What is a normal resting Cardiac Output value mentioned?
A: Approximately 5000 ml/min (or 5.25 L/min based on the example).
Q: How frequently does the entire blood supply pass through the body at rest?
A: About once per minute.
Q: What does Starling's law of the heart state?
A: The more the cardiac muscle is stretched (up to a point), the stronger the contraction will be.
Q: What is the most common way the body changes cardiac output?
A: By changing the heart rate (HR).
Q: List factors that can INCREASE heart rate.
A: Sympathetic nervous system stimulation, crisis/stress, low blood pressure, hormones (epinephrine, thyroxine), exercise, decreased blood volume.
Q: List factors that can DECREASE heart rate.
A: Parasympathetic nervous system stimulation, high blood pressure or blood volume, decreased venous return.
Q: What condition involves a "worn out" heart pumping weakly?
A: Congestive Heart Failure (CHF).
Q: What effect does Digitalis have on the heart, often used for CHF?
A: It provides a slower, steady, but stronger beat.
Q: List the types of blood vessels in order, starting from those leaving the heart.
A: Arteries -> Arterioles -> Capillaries -> Venules -> Veins.
Q: How many layers (tunics) typically make up the walls of larger blood vessels (arteries/veins)? Name them from inner to outer.
A: Three layers: Endothelium (inner), Smooth muscle (middle), Fibrous connective tissue (outer).
Q: Which nervous system controls the smooth muscle layer in blood vessels?
A: Sympathetic nervous system.
Q: Which type of blood vessel has the thickest walls?
A: Arteries.
Q: Which type of blood vessel generally has a larger lumen (internal diameter)?
A: Veins.
Q: How is blood helped to move back towards the heart in veins, especially from the limbs?
A: By the "milking action" of surrounding skeletal muscles.
Q: How thick are capillary walls, and why is this important?
A: Only one cell layer thick, which allows for efficient exchange of gases, nutrients, and wastes between blood and tissues.
Q: What primarily drives blood flow in arteries?
A: The pumping action of the heart.
Q: What are the two types of vessels found in a capillary bed?
A: 1. Vascular shunt (a direct connection between arteriole and venule) 2. True capillaries (exchange vessels).
Q: What structures control blood flow into the true capillaries?
A: Precapillary sphincters.
Q: What substances typically move from the blood into the tissue cells at the capillaries?
A: Oxygen and nutrients.
Q: What substances typically move from the tissue cells into the blood at the capillaries?
A: Carbon dioxide and metabolic waste products.
Q: List four vital signs mentioned that indicate cardiovascular efficiency.
A: Arterial pulse, Blood pressure, Respiratory Rate, Body Temperature.
Q: What is the arterial pulse?
A: The pressure wave of blood traveling through the arteries, generated by each heartbeat.
Q: Where is the pulse typically monitored?
A: At "pressure points" where arteries are close to the surface (e.g., radial, carotid, brachial, facial, posterior tibial arteries).
Q: What does systolic blood pressure measure?
A: The pressure in the arteries at the peak of ventricular contraction.
Q: What does diastolic blood pressure measure?
A: The pressure in the arteries when the ventricles are relaxed (in diastole).
Q: How does blood pressure generally change as distance from the heart increases?
A: It decreases.
Q: Name three major categories of factors that affect blood pressure.
A: Neural factors (autonomic nervous system), Renal factors (kidneys/volume/hormones like renin), Temperature, Chemicals, Diet.
Q: How does heat generally affect blood vessels?
A: It has a vasodilation effect (widening).
Q: How does cold generally affect blood vessels?
A: It has a vasoconstricting effect (narrowing).
Q: What is a general normal range given for systolic pressure?
A: 110-140 mm Hg.
Q: What is a general normal range given for diastolic pressure?
A: 75-80 mm Hg.
Q: What is Hypotension? Provide the systolic value mentioned.
A: Low blood pressure, often associated with illness. Systolic below 110 mm Hg.
Q: What is Hypertension? Provide the systolic value mentioned.
A: High blood pressure, which can be dangerous if chronic. Systolic above 140 mm Hg.