Cardiovascular System

Responsible for delivering oxygen and

nutrients to all of the cells of the body and
for removing waste products for excretion
Consists of

Heart
Cone-shaped muscular organ which is
about the size of a loose fist
Located in the mediastinum
Functions
Generating blood pressure
Routing blood
Ensuring one-way blood flow
For regulating blood supply

Superior Vena Cava and Inferior Vena cava
Largest Vein
Vein vs artery
Deoxygenated vs oxygenated

Right atrium
Top chamber of the heart which receives
blood from the veins
Area of lowest pressure

Tricuspid valve
The valve between the right atrium and
ventricle; 3 cusps/leaflets
Two major types of valves (semilunar valves
and atrioventricular valves)

Right Ventricle
Bottom chamber of the heart which
contracts to send blood to the lungs


Cardiac Cycle

Atrial systole and diastole
Ventricular systole and diastole

Starlings law of the Heart
- addresses the contractile properties of the
heart: the more the muscle is stretched, the
stronger it will react, until it is stretched to a
point at which it will not react at all

Syncytia
- intertwining networks of muscle fibers that
make up the atria and the ventricles of the
heart; allow for a coordinated pumping
contraction


Cardiac Conduction System
- is responsible for the organized transmission
of electrical impulses in the heart. This system
consists of a network of cells that transmits
electrical potentials from the atria to the
ventricles.

Properties of the CCS

Automaticity
- property of the heart cells (specifically
Pale/P cells) to generate and action
potential without and external stimulus

Conductivity
- property of the heart cells to rapidly conduct
an action potential of electrical impulse

Sinoatrial (SA) Node located near the top
right of the right atrium; acts as the
pacemaker of the heart (where action pot.
originates)
Atrial Bundles conduct the impulse
through the atrial muscle
Atrioventricular Node located near the
bottom of the right atrium; slows the impulse
and allows the delay needed for ventricular
filling
Bundle of His
Bundle Branches conduct the impulses
through the ventricles; breaks down into a
fine network of conducting fibers (Purkinje
Fibers)
Purkinje Fibers deliver the impulse to the
ventricular cells

The action potential of the cardiac muscle consists
of five phases:
Phase 0 Depolarization phase
Phase 1 Very short period when Na ion
concentration are equal in and out the cell
Phase 2 (Plateau Stage) Ca slowly enters
the cells, Na and K begins to leave
Repolarization
Phase 3 Rapid repolarization, gates are
closed, K rapidly moves out the cell
Phase 4 occurs when the cell comes to
rest as the sodium-potassium pump returns
to its previous state, with Na outside, K
inside (PISO)

Absolute Refractory Period
- the minimal amount of time that must elapse
between two stimuli applied at one site in
the heart for each of these stimuli to cause
an action potential
Myocardial Contractions

Sarcomere
Zbands

Process


Electrocardiography
- process of recording the patterns of
electrical impulses as they move through
the heart

Electrocardiography machine
- detects pattern of electrical impulse
generation and conduction through the
heart and translates that information into a
recorded pattern

Electrocardiogram (ECG)
- a measure of electrical activity

Five main waves of the ECG Waveform:
P wave formed as impulses originating in
the SA node pass through the atrial tissues
QRS Complex represents depolarization
of the bundle of His (Q) and the ventricles
(RS)
T wave represent repolarization of the
ventricles

Ta waves repolarization of the atria,
occurs during the QRS complex and usually
is not seen on an ECG

Critical points on the ECG:
P-R interval reflects the normal delay of
conduction
Q-T interval reflects the critical timing of
repolarization of the ventricles
S-T segment reflects important
information about the repolarization of the
ventricles