General Principles of CV System and ANS Flashcards
What is systemic circulation, and how does it ensure blood supply to various organs and tissues?
Systemic circulation involves the left heart pumping oxygenated blood into the aorta, which then branches into arteries and arterioles to supply organs and tissues. The organization of these vessels ensures that each organ receives the blood supply it needs.
Describe the flow of blood within organs and tissues in systemic circulation.
In systemic circulation, blood flows through arteries to capillaries within organs. Oxygen and nutrients are exchanged, waste products are removed, and blood is collected into venules and veins before returning to the right heart.
What is pulmonary circulation, and what happens to blood in the lungs during this process?
Pulmonary circulation involves the right heart pumping deoxygenated blood into the pulmonary artery, leading to the lungs. In the lungs, blood is oxygenated, and carbon dioxide is removed. Oxygenated blood then returns to the left heart via the pulmonary veins.
How do the left and right sides of the heart work together within the circulatory system?
The left heart pumps oxygenated blood to the body, while the right heart pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs. They work together as interconnected components of a closed circulatory system that serves the entire body.
Why are the left and right sides of the heart considered interconnected, despite having different functions?
The left and right sides of the heart are interconnected components of a single circulatory system, working together to maintain the flow of blood throughout the body. They are not entirely independent pumps.
What are the main functions of the cardiovascular system?
- transport of inhaled oxygen from the lungs to body tissues and removal of carbon dioxide in the opposite direction to be exhaled
- transport nutrients to all cells
- removes metabolic waste
- conveys chemical messages
- serves as a “highway” for the immune system.
Why do people die from a myocardial infarction, and what is the primary cause?
People may die from a myocardial infarction due to extensive damage to the heart, resulting in the heart’s inability to pump effectively. Arrhythmias, irregular heartbeats, are a primary cause of death in this context.
Heart
a pump that moves blood through the vessels
Sides and chambers of the heart
- right and left chambers of the heart
- right and left atrium; right and left ventricle
oxygen-poor blood from the body returns to the
right side of the heart where it’s pumped to the lungs
in the lungs, blood picks up oxygen and releases
carbon dioxide
oxygen-rich blood returns to
the left side of the heart
the left side of the heart pumps
oxygen-rich blood to body’s tissues, where it unloads oxygen and picks up carbon dioxide
Four determinants of cardiac output
- heart rate - number of beats per minute
- preload - volume entering the ventricles
- afterload - the resistance that ventricles must overcome to pump blood around the body
- contractility - how hard the myocardium contracts for a given preload
myocardium
the middle and thickest layer of the heart wall
