Cardiovascular Anatomy And Physiology

Question 1

What is the anatomical position of the left side of the heart?

Answer 1

Extends from 2nd costal cartilage to 5th intercostal space

Question 2

What is the anatomical position of the right side of the heart?

Answer 2

Extends from the 3rd to 6th costal cartilage about 10-15 mm from sternum

Question 3

What is the anatomical position of the apex of the heart?

Answer 3

Lies to the left of the mid sternal line

Question 4

What are the four layers of the heart?

Answer 4

Pericardium
Epicardium
Myocardium
Endocardium

Question 5

What is the pericardium?

Answer 5

Encloses the heart

Question 6

What are the two layers of the pericardium? And what are their roles?

Answer 6

Parietal pericardium (contains terminal branches of several blood vessels)

Visceral pericardium (forms pericardial fluid to moisten the heart to prevent friction and maintain the heart in position)

Question 7

Where are the coronary blood vessels located?

Answer 7

Epicardium (visceral pericardium)

Question 8

What is the myocardium?

Answer 8

Cardiac muscle fibers that provide the work in distributing blood to the heart

Question 9

What is the endocardium?

Answer 9

Innermost layer that lines the heart and contains smooth muscle

Question 10

What does the atria do?

Answer 10

Receives blood from the veins

Question 11

What does the left atria do?

Answer 11

Receives oxygen rich blood from the pulmonary vein and sends it to the left ventricle through the bicuspid valve

Question 12

What does the right atria do?

Answer 12

Receives blood from the superior and inferior vena cava and sends it to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve

Question 13

What do the ventricles do?

Answer 13

Ejects blood into the arteries

Question 14

What does the left ventricle do?

Answer 14

Ejects blood through the aortic valve into the aorta

Question 15

What does the right ventricle do?

Answer 15

Ejects oxygen deficient blood through the pulmonic valve into the pulmonary trunk which becomes the left and right pulmonary artery

Question 16

What is one main difference between arteries and veins?

Answer 16

Arteries have very muscular walls compared veins to regulate blood pressure

Whereas, veins contain valves to prevent back flow!

Question 17

What are some similarities/differences between myocardial tissues and skeletal muscles?

Answer 17

Similarity:
Myocardial tissues contain actin and myosin filaments
Undergoes excitation-coupling phenomena similar to skeletal mm

Difference:
Myocardial tissues can contract on its own and does not need a peripheral nerve to active it.

Sliding of actin and myosin myofilaments exists to cause a mm contraction

Question 18

What type of tissue are the atria and ventricles made up of?

Answer 18

Myocardial tissue

Question 19

What are the three properties of myocardial cells?

Answer 19

Automaticity
Rhythmicity
Conductivity

Question 20

What is automaticity?

Answer 20

Able to contract without external stimuli

Question 21

What is rhythmicity?

Answer 21

Able to contract in a rhythmic manner

Question 22

What is conductivity ?

Answer 22

Nerve impulses can be transmitted from one myocardial cell to another due to intercalated disks that form a syncytial

Question 23

Intercalated disks contain what two junctions?

Answer 23

Desmosomes
Connexins

Question 24

What are desmosomes?

Answer 24

Attach one cell to another

Question 25

What are connexins?

Answer 25

Allow electrical impulses to spread from one cell to another

Question 26

What supplies the myocardium?

Answer 26

Coronary arteries

Question 27

What specific structures do the right coronary artery supply?

Answer 27

Right ventricle, AV node, and SA node

Question 28

What specific structures does the left coronary artery supply?

Answer 28

Left ventricle, left atrium, ventricular septum and SA node

Question 29

A blockage at the left anterior descending artery can cause what issues?

Answer 29

Oxygen deficiency in all vital structures that it supplies blood to

Question 30

What does damage to the right coronary artery cause?

Answer 30

A heart attack

Question 31

What is the pacemaker of the heart?

Answer 31

Sinoatrial node (SA)

Question 32

What is the function of the pacemaker of the heart?

Answer 32

Must set a pace of depolarization faster than any other myocardial cell

Question 33

At what pace does the heart beat at?

Answer 33

Paces the heart to beat > 100 beats per minute without any other input

Question 34

What parts of the autonomic nervous system does the SA node receive input from?

Answer 34

Sympathetic nervous system Parasympathetic nervous system

Question 35

What does the sympathetic nervous system do in the cardiovascular system?

Answer 35

Neurotransmitter (norepinephrine) increases heart rate and myocardial contractility

Question 36

What does the parasympathetic nervous system do?

Answer 36

It’s neurotransmitter (acetylcholine) decreases heart rate and myocardial contractility to 60-90 bpm

Question 37

What is the pathway of cardiac conduction?

Answer 37

1. SA node transmits impulses to the atria to cause them to contract first 2. Excitation electrical impulses are then sent to the AV node (located at the floor of the right atrium) to cause the ventricles to contract

Question 38

AV node can spontaneously discharge without external stimuli at a rate of ___ to ___ bpm.

Answer 38

40-60

Question 39

AV node impulses are transmitted to the ventricular myocardium through what specific structure?

Answer 39

bundle of his

Question 40

What is the bundle of his?

Answer 40

Divides into a left and right bundle branch at the inter muscular septum to innervate each respective ventricle

Question 41

What do the bundle of his eventually further divide into?

Answer 41

Smaller nerve fibers called Purkinje fibers which cause the ventricles to contract

Question 42

The SA node is susceptible to disease due to…

Answer 42

Proximity to the epicardium (pericarditis) Coronary artery occlusion

Question 43

AV node susceptible to disease due to…

Answer 43

Right coronary artery occlusion

Question 44

What is a normal potassium level?

Answer 44

3.5-5.0 mEq/L

Question 45

What is the potassium level of hypokalemia? And what can it cause?

Answer 45

< 3.5 Arrhythmias Muscle cramps especially if taking a diuretic

Question 46

What is the potassium level of hyperkalemia? And what health conditions can it cause?

Answer 46

> 5.0 Nausea and vomiting

Question 47

What is the normal calcium level?

Answer 47

9-11 mg/dl

Question 48

What is the calcium levels for hypercalcemia? And what can it cause?

Answer 48

9-11 mg/dl Erratic cardiac contraction

Question 49

What is the calcium levels for hypocalcemia? And what can it cause?

Answer 49

< 9 mg/dl Decreased myocardial contractility

Question 50

What are the two primary phases of ventricular activity?

Answer 50

Systole (myocardial contraction) Diastole (myocardial relaxation)

Question 51

Describe atrial diastole.

Answer 51

All heart muscle in relaxation All heart valves are closed Blood returning to atria

Question 52

Describe atrial systole

Answer 52

Atria in contraction AV valves are open Blood to ventricles

Question 53

Describe ventricular systole.

Answer 53

Ventricles in contraction. Semilunar valves are open. Blood passing to arteries.

Question 54

Describe ventricular diastole.

Answer 54

All heart muscle in relaxation. All heart valves are closed. Blood returning to atria.