Circulatory System 2 Flashcards
(111 cards)
What is cardiac output
Volume of blood pumped per minute by each ventricle
What is heart rate
Number of heart beats (cardiac cycle) per minute
What is stroke volume
Volume of blood pumped per beat (per cardiac cycle) by each ventricle
How to calculate cardiac output CO
Heart rate x stroke volume
What is the average resting cardiac rate (heart rate)
70 beat/min
What is the average stroke volume
70-80 ml/beat
An average person with an average HR and SV would have an CO of ….?
HR = 70 beat/min
SV = 70 ml/beat
So… CO = HR x SV = 70 x 70 = 4900 ml/min or about 5 L/min
Unit of heart rate
Beat/min
Unit of stroke volume
ml/beat
Unit of cardiac output
ml/min
How many liters of blood does an average human have ?
5L of total body blood
For a person with 5L of blood and a CO of 5 L/min , this means that ….
The WHOLE total volume is circulated once around the body
What controls heart rate
Sympathetic and parasympathetic divisions of ANS
In the absence of any neural effects, does the heart stop beating?
No
The heart is still automatically controlled by the rate at which SA node fires action potential
How does sympatheitc activity increase heart rate ?
- increases the steepness of pacemaker potential
- threshold is reached sooner
- increases the rate of SA node firing
= increases heart rate
How does parasympathetic activity reduce heart rate
- Reduces the steepness of pacemaker potential
- Threshold is reached later
- Reduces rate of SA node firing
= decreases heart rate
What happens to cardiac output if heart rate increases ?
Increases
What controls stroke volume SV
- EDV (preload)
- Total peripheral resistance TPR (afterload)
- Contractility (inotropy)
What is EDV (preload)
Volume of blood in ventricles at the end of diastole
How does preload (EDV) affect SV
The more the ventricles are filled with blood during diastole, the greater EDV, and therefore the greater stroke volume

How does afterload (total peripheral resistance) affect stroke volume SV?
The greater the resistance to blood flow in the arteries, such as when there is vasoconstriction, the lower the stroke volume
What is total peripheral resistance TPR (afterload)
The resistance to blood flow offered by all the systemic vasculature, excluding the pulmonary vasculature
How does inotropy (contractility) affect stroke volume ?
The greater the inotropy, the greater the stroke volume
What is contractility (inotropy)
The intrinsic ability of the myocardium to contract independently of changes in preload or afterload