Cardiovascular System

Question 1

Artery

Answer 1

Carries blood away from the heart.
Oxygenated blood taken to organs and working muscles.

Question 2

Arteriole

Answer 2

Controls blood distribution by changing diameter.
During exercise muscles require increased blood flow.

Question 3

Capillary

Answer 3

Connect the arteries and veins by uniting the arterioles and venules.
One cell thick to allow gas exchange to occur easily.
Surround the muscles.

Question 4

Venule

Answer 4

Small vessels that connect the capillaries to the vein.
Take blood from the capillaries and transport this deoxygenated blood under low pressure to the veins.

Question 5

Vein

Answer 5

Thinner walls that arteries and a relatively larger diameter.
Veins and valves within their structure prevent back flow of blood.
Facilitate venous return.
Blood flows slowly under low pressure.
Contracting muscles push thin walls of veins, squeezes blood back towards the heart.

Question 6

Venous return

Answer 6

the flow of blood back to the heart.

Question 7

Red blood cell (Erythrocytes)

Answer 7

Main function is to carry oxygen.
All red blood cells contain a protein called haemoglobin - gives blood it’s red colour.
Red blood cells are round, flattened discs with an indented shape so it can flow easily in plasma.

Question 8

White blood cells (Leucocytes)

Answer 8

The component of blood that protects the body from infection.
Identifies, destroys and removes pathogen e.g. bacteria, viruses.
Originate in the bone marrow and stored in the blood.

Question 9

Plasma

Answer 9

Straw-coloured liquid where blood cells are located.
Approximately 90% is made up of water and electrolytes (sodium,potassium and protein).
Plasma carries carbon dioxide, which is then dissolved as carbonic acid.

Question 10

Platelets (Thrombocytes)

Answer 10

Disc-shape cell fragments.
Produced in bone marrow.
Main function is clotting the blood to prevent blood loss.

Question 11

Delivery of oxygen and nutrients

Answer 11

Delivers oxygen and nutrients to the tissue of the body through the blood stream.
During exercise the body needs more oxygen so the cardiovascular system has to work harder.
When the cardiovascular system can no longer meet the demands, fatigue will kick in, performance will decrease.

Question 12

Removal of waste products -Carbon dioxide and Lactate

Answer 12

Removes carbon dioxide and lactate acid from the body.
If waste products aren’t removed it causes fatigue.

Question 13

Fighting infection

Answer 13

White blood cells fight infection.
This component of blood is constantly produced in the bone marrow.
They are stored in, and transported around the body by the blood to consume and ingest pathogens and destroy them. They produce antibodies which also destroy pathogens and produce antitoxins which will neutralise the toxins that may be released by pathogens.

Question 14

Thermoregulation (vasodilation)

Answer 14

During exercise , vasodilation of blood vessels occur in parts of the active muscles.
This is caused by the relaxation of involuntary muscle fibres in the walls of the blood vessels and causes an increase in the diameter of the blood vessel.
This decreases the resistance to the flow of blood to the areas supplied by the vessels.
This results in a decrease of body temperature as heat within the blood can be carried to the skin surface.

Question 15

Thermoregulation (vasoconstriction)

Answer 15

Blood vessels can also be temporarily shut down or limit blood flow to tissues.
This is caused by contraction of the smooth muscle in the blood vessel walls which result in a decrease in diameter of blood vessel.
This will result in an increase in body temperature, as heat loss is reduced as blood is moved away from the surface.

Question 16

Blood clotting

Answer 16

Blood clotting is a complex process where white blood cells form solid clots.
A damaged blood vessel wall is covered by a fibrin clot to help repair the damaged vessel.
Platelets form a plug at the site of the damage.
Plasma components known as coagulation factors respond to form fibrin strands which strengthens the platelet plug.
This happens because the blood supply is constant around the body.

Question 17

The Sinoatrial node (SAN)

Answer 17

Located in the walls of the right atrium near the vena cava.
Commonly referred to as the hearts pacemaker.
Produces electrical impulses.
Sends impulse to the muscles of the atria to cause them both to contract.
This contraction forces the blood within the atria down into the ventricles.

Question 18

The Atrioventricular node (AVN)

Answer 18

Located in the centre of the heart between the atria and ventricles.
Acts as a buffer to slow the signal down from the SA node.
Slowing the signal down allows the atria to contract before the ventricles.
This means the ventricles are relaxed (or open) and ready to receive blood from the atria at the top of the heart.

Question 19

The bundle of His

Answer 19

Located in the septum.
Specialist heart muscle cells that are responsible for transporting the electrical impulse from the AV node.
Conducts the electrical impulse down the central part of the heart in two branches.

Question 20

Purkinje fibres

Answer 20

Located at the end of the of the bundle of his and branch up through the muscular walls of ventricles.
Conducts the electrical impulse back up the ventricle walls.
Enables the ventricles to complete their contraction.
Causes the blood within the ventricles to be pushed up and out the valves - towards either the lungs or the body.

Question 21

Anticipatory rise

Answer 21

It’s an anticipatory response.
HR will increase just before exercise in order to prepare for the increase in demand.
Nerves and chemicals in the blood can rapidly alter the bodies heart rate.
A 100m sprinter will experience a greater anticipatory heart rate response due to the high demands the sport will require.

Question 22

Increased heart rate

Answer 22

Heart rate increases, body can have more oxygen and nutrients transported to the working muscles to keep the body working at a high intensity.
Nerves detect cardiovascular activity and the nerves increase the heart rate to make it pump faster.
During exercise, the cardiovascular system redistributes the blood so that more of it goes to the working muscles and less of it goes to other body organs such as the digestive system.

Question 23

Cardiac output

Answer 23

Cardiac Output(Q) = Heart Rate(HR) x Stroke Volume(SV)
This is the amount of blood pumped out to the left side of the heart in one minute.
Cardiac output increases during exercise, because of an increase in heart rate.
Your maximum cardiac output decreases with age because your maximum heart rate will decrease.

Question 24

Systolic pressure

Answer 24

The pressure exerted on your artery walls when your heart contracts and forces blood out of the heart into the body.
During exercise systolic blood pressure will increase because your heart is working harder to oxygenated blood to the working muscles.

Question 25

Diastolic pressure

Answer 25

The pressure on the blood vessel walls when the heart is relaxed between beats and is filling with blood.

Question 26

Cardiac hypertrophy

Answer 26

Training will cause the walls of the heart to get thicker.
The walls of the left ventricle will thicken which will increase the strength of the contraction this results in it beating less often.

Question 27

Increase in resting and exercising stroke volume

Answer 27

The more oxygenated blood that can be pushed out of the heart the more oxygen that can get to the muscles.
The heart pumps out more blood per beat when exercising to get more oxygen and nutrients to the working muscles.

Question 28

Decrease in resting heart rate

Answer 28

This happens as a result of cardiac hypertrophy.
The heart doesn’t need to pump as often to eject the same quantity of blood.

Question 29

Reduction in resting blood pressure

Answer 29

Exercise causes your blood pressure to rise for a short time as more blood is pumped around the body per minute so the walls of the arteries are under more pressure.
Regular exercise can contribute to lowering blood pressure.
The quicker your blood resting pressure reduces the quicker you recover.

Question 30

Decrease in heart rate recovery time

Answer 30

Measured on how much your heart rate falls during the first minute after exercise.
The fitter you are the quicker it returns to it’s resting heart rate.

Question 31

Capillaries of skeletal muscle and alveoli

Answer 31

Long term exercise/training will increase the number of capillaries in the cardiac and skeletal muscles.
More oxygen and nutrients can be delivered to the body and working muscles.

Question 32

Increase blood volume

Answer 32

Blood volume represents the amount of blood circulating in the body.
Blood volume increases because of training as a result of more capillaries.

Question 33

Sudden Arrhythmic Death Syndrome (SADS)

Answer 33

This is a genetic condition that causes death in young healthy individuals.
The heart is not affected by any disease diseases.
If the hearts normal, natural rhythm becomes distrusted then the heart can stop beating, which can cause death.
There have been several high-profile cases where elite sportspeople have suffered from SADS, such as Bolton Wanderers footballer Fabrice Muamba.

Question 34

High and low blood pressure (Hypertension and Hypotension)

Answer 34

High blood pressure (hypertension)
Exercise causes your blood pressure to rise as you work harder.
If you suffer from high blood pressure this sudden increase on the heart could be dangerous.
This is because to much force may be exerted on the heart and the arteries.

Low blood pressure (hypotension)
Low blood pressure means your blood is moving slowly around your body, which can restrict the amount of blood reaching the vital organs and muscles.
Symptoms-dizziness, fainting, tiredness.
Low blood pressure will mean it’s harder for your CV system to respond during exercise.

Question 35

Hyperthermia

Answer 35

Prolonged increase in your body temperature that occurs when the body produces or absorbed to much heat.
Your CV system will regulate your body temperature by dilating the blood vessels closer to the bodies surface and making you sweat.
If you exercise in a hot environment it’s difficult for the heat to be removed.

Question 36

Hypothermia

Answer 36

Your body temperature becomes too cold with your core temperature dropping bellow 35 degree.
Symptoms - shivering, confusion and in serve cases an increased risk of your heart stopping.
Hypothermia may occur if you are training in a cold environment without adequate clothing.