Cardiovascular Physiology Lecture 4 Flashcards
(95 cards)
The cardiac cycle can be divided into _______ (ventricular contraction) and _______ (ventricular relaxation)
The cardiac cycle can be divided into systole (ventricular contraction) and diastole (ventricular relaxation)
What is Systole?
Ventricular contraction and blood ejection
What is Diastole?
Ventricular relaxation and filling
_______: period of time from beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next
(each heart beat involves one ventricular systole and one ventricular diastole)
Cardiac cycle length: period of time from beginning of one heartbeat to the beginning of the next
(each heart beat involves one ventricular systole and one ventricular diastole)
The heart spends most of the time in ______
*important for ventricular filling as the ventricles only fill when relaxed*
The heart spends most of the time in diastole
What are the two phases of ventricular systole?
- Isovolumetic ventricular contraction
- Ventricular ejection

When the ventricle contract, they squeeze the volume of blood in their chambers, generating _______ which creates blood flow
(recall flow = change in pressure / resistance)
When the ventricle contract, they squeeze the volume of blood in their chambers, generating pressure which creates blood flow
(recall flow = change in pressure / resistance)
_________: same volume (constant/unchanging)
Isovolumetric: same volume (constant/unchanging)
“iso” = same
“volumetric” = volume
What is isovolumetric ventricular contraction?
Phase of ventricular systole:
- Ventricles contract
- All heart valves are closed
- blood volume in ventricles remains constant but pressure rises
- muscle develops tension but cannot shorten

What is the ventricular ejection phase?
Phase of ventricular systole:
- pressure generated by the ventricles during contraction now exceeds the pressure in the artery into which the ventricles eject blood
- forward pressure gradient:
- opens semilunar valves
- ventricular muscle fibres shorten
- Blood is ejected from ventricles
During the ventricular ejection phase of systole, the AV valve is kept from inverting by the _______ and the ______
During the ventricular ejection phase of systole, the AV valve is kept from inverting by the chordae tendinae and the papillary muscles
What is stroke volume?
Volume of blood ejected from each ventricle during systole or during contraction
Which ventricle ejects the greater volume of blood?
Both left and right ventricle eject the same amount of blood. The only difference is that the left does so with more pressure
What are the two phases of Diastole?
Two phases of diastole
- isovolumetric ventricular relaxation
- ventricular filling
What has to be relaxed for for the ventricles to fill?
Ventricular myocardium (muscle layer of the ventricles)
What is happening during isovolumetric ventricular relaxation?
Phase of diastole
- all heart valves closed
- blood volume remains constant
- pressures drop as myocardium relaxes

What happens during ventricular filling?
Phase of Diastole
- AV valves open, blood flows passively into ventricles from atria (atria are relaxed)
- Two Phases:
- Passive ventricular filling
- Atrial contraction

What are the two phases of ventricular filling?
Ventricular filling:
second phase of Diastole;
Two phases:
- Passive ventricular filling
- Atrial contraction (or atrial kick)
What happens during passive ventricular filling?
First phase of the ventricular filling phase of diastole:
- the ventricles receive approximately 70% of their blood volume via passive ventricular filling
- blood flows from relaxed atria to relaxed ventricles

What happens during atrial contraction?
second phase of the ventricular filling phase of diastole
- Atrial systole begins
- Atrial contraction forces small amount of blood into relaxed ventricle completing ventricular filling

What is the cardiac cycle?
the rhythmical contraction and relaxation of the heart’s chambers coordinated by the electrical activity in the heart; represents the events that occur in the chambers of the heart during one single heartbeat
What is the pressure-volume curve also called?
Wiggers diagram
______ is the key to understanding blood flow patterns and the opening and closing of valves
Pressure is the key to understanding blood flow patterns and the opening and closing of valves
When is pressure generated in the heart?
- When the muscles of the heart chamber contract
- When a chamber fills with blood












