Cardiovasclar System

Question 1

Where is the heart located?

Answer 1

It is located in the middle of the chest and slightly towards the left

Question 2

How big is the heart?

Answer 2

If you clench your hand into a fist, this is the same size as your heart

Question 3

What is a heart?

Answer 3

The heart is a large muscular pump and is divided into two halves - the right-hand side and the left-hand side.

Question 4

What is the function of the right hand side of the heart?

Answer 4

The right-hand side of the heart is responsible for pumping deoxygenated blood to the lungs

Question 5

What is the function of the left hand side of the heart?

Answer 5

The left-hand side pumps oxygenated blood around the body

Question 6

What is the function of the atrium?

Answer 6

The atria (plural of atrium) are where the blood collects when it enters the heart

Question 7

What is the function of the ventricles?

Answer 7

The ventricles pump the blood out of the heart to the lungs or around the body

Question 8

What is the function of the septum?

Answer 8

The septum separates the right-hand and left-hand side of the heart

Question 9

What is the function of the tricuspid valve?

Answer 9

The tricuspid valve is located between the right atrium and right ventricle and opens due to a build-up of pressure in the right atrium

Question 10

What is the function of the bicuspid valve?

Answer 10

The bicuspid valve is located between the left atrium and left ventricle and likewise opens due to a build-up of pressure, this time in the left atrium

Question 11

What is the function of the semilunar valves?

Answer 11

The semilunar valves stop the back flow of blood into the heart

Question 12

Name the four main blood vessels

Answer 12

Aorta
Vena cava
Pulmonary artery
Pulmonary vein

Question 13

What is the function of the aorta?

Answer 13

The aorta is the largest artery in the body. It carries oxygenated blood away from the left ventricle to the body

Question 14

What is the function vein cava?

Answer 14

The vena cava is the largest vein in the body. It carries deoxygenated blood from the body back to the heart

Question 15

What is function of pulmonary artery?

Answer 15

The pulmonary artery carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle to the lungs

Question 16

What is function of pulmonary vein?

Answer 16

The pulmonary vein returns oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart

Question 17

What do arteries carry?

Answer 17

Arteries carry oxygenated blood away from the heart (except for the pulmonary artery which carries deoxygenated blood away from the right ventricle to the lungs)

Question 18

What are the four main function of the cardiovascular system?

Answer 18

Deliver oxygen and nutrients to the body
Remove the waste products such as carbon dioxide and lactic acid
Protection against disease and infection
Maintain body temperature

Question 19

What is blood pressure?

Answer 19

When the heart contracts it pushes blood into blood vessels which creates blood pressure

Question 20

A blood pressure reading consists of two values, what are they and what do they mean?

Answer 20

Systolic value – blood pressure while the heart is squeezing

Diastolic value – blood pressure while the heart is relaxing

Question 21

What is the average blood pressure for an adult?

Answer 21

The average blood pressure for an adult is 120/80 mmHg

The first number is the systolic value and the second number is the diastolic value

Question 22

What is blood pressure determined by?

Answer 22

Blood pressure is determined by Q (cardiac output) and the resistance to the blood flow (R)

Question 23

What is resistance to blood flow caused by?

Answer 23

Resistance to blood flow is caused both by the diameter of the blood vessels and by the thickness of the blood

Question 24

What is atherosclerosis?

Answer 24

Plaque in the arteries, their resistance to blood flow will increase and so will blood pressure

Question 25

Why is this so bad?

Answer 25

This can have serious health implications such as causing chronic high blood pressure, angina or even heart attack or stroke

Question 26

What is heart rate?

Answer 26

Heart rate (HR) is the number of times the heart beats (or the ventricles pump blood out) in one minute. The average resting HR is approximately 70 beats per minute (bpm)

Question 27

What is stroke volume?

Answer 27

Stroke volume (SV) is the amount of blood pumped out of the ventricles each time they contract. The average resting SV is approximately 70 ml

Question 28

What is cardiac output?

Answer 28

Cardiac output (Q) is the amount of blood pumped from the heart every minute and can be calculated by multiplying heart rate (HR) by stroke volume (SV)

Question 29

What does this mean? | Q = HR x SV

Answer 29

Cardiac output = Heart rate x Stroke volume

Question 30

What is heart rate measured by?

Answer 30

Heart rate is measured in beats per minute (bpm)

Question 31

What happens to the heart rate during exercise?

Answer 31

During exercise the heart rate increases so that sufficient blood is taken to the working muscles to provide them with enough nutrients and oxygen. An increase in heart rate also allows for waste products to be removed.

Question 32

What is the equation to find maximum heart rate?

Answer 32

Maximum HR = 220 - age

Question 33

What happens to the stroke volume during exercise?

Answer 33

Stroke volume increases which means more blood is pumped out of the heart each time it contracts.

Question 34

What happens to the cardiac output during exercise?

Answer 34

At rest a person's cardiac output is approximately 5 litres per minute, while during exercise it can increase to as much as 30 litres per minute as both their heart rate and stroke volume increase.

Question 35

What happens to the blood pressure during exercise?

Answer 35

As exercise increases, cardiac output (Q) also increases. This has the effect of increasing blood pressure. A typical blood pressure reading for a person at the start of exercise would be around 160/85 mmHg