Circulation Flashcards
What is recruitment?
More capillaries open
What happens to pulmonary vascular resistance when pulmonary vascular pressure rises?
Resistance falls
What is distension?
Capillaries widen
How are capillaries used to control VQ mismatch?
Capillaries to underventilated alveoli can constrict, forcing the blood to flow elsewhere.
What is a pulmonary embolus?
An obstruction to the pulmonary arterial system. Usually a thrombus.
What is blood pressure?
Blood pressure = cardiac output x peripheral resistance
What may cause pulmonary hypertension?
High cardiac output
High pulmonary vascular resistance
What increases vascular resistance?
Vasoconstriction
Obstruction
Damaged vascular bed
What does the p wave represent on an ECG?
Atrial systole
What does the QRS complex show?
Ventricular systole
What does the t wave represent?
Ventricular repolarisation
What is an isovolumic contraction?
Ventricular pressure rises but the volume is constant.
What is isovolumic relaxation?
The ventricular pressure decreases but the volume is constant.
What is S1?
AV valves closing
What is S2?
Semilunar valves closing
What is S3?
Rapid ventricular filling
What is S4?
Atrial systole
Why are capillaries good for diffusion?
Large cross sectional area so they are low velocity.
Thin walls.
What is Darcy’s law?
Blood flow = MABP/TPR
Same as saying that Arterial BP = CO x TPR
What causes resistance to blood flow?
Vessel radius
Viscosity
What determines viscosity?
Haematocrit - proportion of blood that is RBCs
Plasma protein concentration and type
What is turbulence?
Stenotic vessels cause blood to flow in a disorganised way (not laminar flow)
What determines vascular tone?
Intrinsic regulation (stretch and chemicals) Extrinsic regulation (hormones and nerves)
How does NO cause vasodilation?
Ca2+ causes NO Synthase to produce NO which activates Guanylyl cyclase. GC causes GTP to be converted into cGMP which phosphorylates Myosin, causing the vascular muscle to relax.