Physiological Properties of Heart Flashcards by sami sh

Describe the path of electrical activity in the heart.

– SAN pacemaker potential starts the process
– Depolarisation spreads due to “functional syncytium”
– Around atria first, then ventricles (through AV node)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What does ECG measure ?

Total electrical activity of the heart

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Describe the action potential of sinus nodal fibers and ventricular muscle fibers. Draw them.

1) SINUS NODAL FIBER AP
- no stable resting membrane potential (-55 to -60 mV. Less than ventricular muscle fiber due to leakier cell membrane to Na and Ca ions, causing influx of positive charge)
- no sharpness of movement (change in movement when treshold reached goes up, then down at more leisurely pace)

2) VENTRICULAR MUSCLE FIBER
- stable resting membrane potential (-85 to -90 mV)
- Rapid upstroke (due to fast Na channels), then plateau (due to slower opening of slow calcium channels + opening of K channels, balance between the two causes plateau) then quick repolarisation (due to opening of K channels and K leaking out)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Describe the different steps to atrial/ventricular depolarisation. Draw this.

Phase 0
• Rapid depolarisation due to ↑ Na+ permeability (gNa+) as fast (voltage gated) Na+ channels open

Phase 1
• Start of repolarisation as fast Na+ channels close

Phase 2
• Effect of Ca2+ entry via L-type channels (causes plateau)

Phase 3
• Rapid repolarisation as ↑ [Ca2+]i stimulates K+ channels to open and gK+ ↑
• Ca2+ L-type (dihydropyridine) channels close

Phase 4
• Stable resting membrane potential where gK+ exceeds gNa+ by 50:1

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Draw a graph representing Ionic Currents for Calcium, Sodium, and Potassium outward and inwards over the length of a ventricular AP.

Refer to “Physiological Properties of the Heart” slide 5.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Describe the steps to sino-atrial node depolarisation. Draw the graph for it.

Phase 1
• Gradual drift ↑ in resting membrane potential due to ↑ gNa+ as “funny” F-type Na+ channels open and ↓ gK+ as K+ channels slowly close (pacemaker potential)
• Transient (T) Ca2+ channels help with
the “final push

Phase 2
• Moderately rapid depolarisation due to Ca2+ entry via slow (L) channels

Phase 3
• Rapid repolarisation as elevated internal Ca2+ stimulates opening of K+ channels and an ↑ in gK+ (K+ leaks out)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Which of the sinoatrial node or ventricular muscle fibers rely more on Calcium to achieve depolarisation ? more on Sodium ?

SAN: Calcium (depolarisation) and Potassium (repolarisation)

Ventricular muscle fiber: Sodium (depolarisation) and Potassium (repolarisation)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Draw the graph for permeability of the membrane to Sodium, Potassium, and Calcium respectively during an AP in the SAN.

Refer to “Physiological Properties of the Heart” slide 6.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

What is peculiar about F type Na+ channels ?

More likely to open as membrane potential becomes more negative

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Why is there no stable resting membrane potential in the SAN ?

Because of the presence of F type Na channels: as membrane potential becomes more negative, increase likelihood of F type Na channels opening, which then starts pushing membrane potential back up again

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Which parts of the heart does each of the PSNS and SNS innervate ? Which one is more diffuse.

PSNS: Nodal areas (AVN and SAN), some atria
SNS: Nodal areas, ventricular muscle mass

SNS much more diffuse

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Identify a nerve which specifically “interfaces with parasympathetic control of the heart”.

Vagus Nerve

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Describe sympathetic stimulation of pacemaker activity.

– Noradrenaline acts on β1 receptors to ↑ cAMP production
– Increases rate of SAN phase 1 depolarisation by changing permeability of the membrane
• ↑ gCa2+
• ↑ gNa+ via “funny” channels

Overall, increase in heart rate (positive chronotropic effect)

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Describe parasympathetic stimulation of pacemaker activity.

– Acetylcholine acts on M2 receptors which ↓ cAMP production
– Reduces rate of phase 1 depolarisation
– Hyperpolarises membrane potential to lower starting level
• ↑ extent and duration of opening of K+ channels ∴ ↑ gK+

Overall, negative chronotropic effect

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Graph the effect of sympathetic and parasympathetic stimulation of pacemaker activity, explaining what’s going on.

Refer to “Physiological Properties of the Heart” slide 9.

SNS causes faster AP + higher starting membrane potential.
PSNS causes slower AP + lower starting membrane potential.

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Describe the electrical pathway within the heart.

SAN –> AVN –> Bundle of His –> Purkinje fibers –> Ventricles

How well did you know this?

Not at all

Perfectly

Identify the main function of the AV node.

Slows down pathway: allows electrical events within atria to have resolved, gathers electrical activity that has spread around internodal tracts and around the atria (therefore traveling at variety of different speeds) coalesces it at one point and allows coordinated impulse to travel to the ventricles.

How does the electrical pathway travel from SAN to AVN in the atria ?

Through internodal tracts

What is the rate of the depolarisation (uninfluenced by any innervation) of the following: 
Sinoatrial node (SAN) 
Atrioventricular node (AV node) 
Bundle of His
Purkinje fibers
Ventricles

Sinoatrial node (SAN): ~90/min
Atrioventricular node (AV node): ~60/min
Bundle of His: ~50/min
Purkinje fibers: ~40/min
Ventricles: ~30/min

What happens if conduction is blocked at the SAN ?

Downstream tissues assume their intrinsic rate

How fast is conduction in atrial and ventrical fibers ? in internodal pathways ? in the AV node and bundle ? in the Purkinje fibers ?

0.3-0.5 m/s
1 m/s
0.01 m/s
1.5-4 m/s

What time does it take for the electrical signal to reach the AV node from the SA node ?

~0.03s

How long is the signal delayed in the AV node ?

~0.09s

What is the penetrating portion of the AV bundle ? How long is the signal delayed there (in addition to the delay in the AV node) ?

Fibrous portion which insulates skeleton of the heart

~0.04s

Which part of the heart is the biggest determinant of how long the signal takes to get through ?

AV node

How long does the signal take to go from SA node to bundle of His ?

0.16s (0.03 + 0.09 + 0.04s)

Briefly explain what (microscopically) exactly in the heart an ECG detects ?

During the spread of depolarisation through the heart when the chambers contract, the extracellular fluid around the myocardium becomes more negatively charged. The polarised and repolarised regions of the heart remain relatively more positive. This creates a potential difference between the different regions, which ECG electrodes detect. The cardiac dipole is a vector which has both a direction (from the most negative to most positive regions of the heart) as well as an amplitude (voltage). Several electrodes are placed on the body to “look” at the cardiac dipole from different points of view.

Why doesn't an ECG detect anything during resting membrane potential or during hyperpolarisation ?

Because there is no dipole (no ion influx or outflux) so no current is generated.

What does an ECG measure ?

Electrical activity of the heart over time

How many electrodes are used in an ECG ? What is their role ?

Four on the limbs – One is an “earth”, used to remove background noise – Three used to create virtual “leads” between each pair of electrodes (limb leads measure the sum of the electrical activity of the heart and the direction that electrical activity is moving in) Six across the chest – To give more specific, localised information about areas of the heart

What does it mean when an ECG trace goes up ? down ?

One end of each lead is designated “positive” • Depolarisation moving towards the “positive” causes the trace to go up. • Depolarisation moving away from the “positive” causes the trace to go down.

What is Einthoven’s triangle ?

"Imaginary formation of three limb leads (on R arm, L arm, L leg) in a triangle used in electrocardiography, formed by the two shoulders and the pubis. The shape forms an inverted equilateral triangle with the heart at the center that produces zero potential when the voltages are summed"

Identify the positive and negative electrode for each lead in Einthoven’s triangle.

Lead 1: + (LA) - (RA) Lead 2: + (LL) - (RA) Lead 3: + (LL) - (LA)

What factors determine the size of electrical signals from the heart ?

– Current (proportional to tissue mass) | – Direction of signal

Name the formula to calculate observed signal.

Observed signal = E x CosƟ, where E = Electrical event Ɵ = angle between event and ECG lead

Will a smaller or a larger angle get biggest observed signal ?

Small angle gets biggest observed signal

Explain what the event in each ECG wave.

P wave – Atrial depolarisation QRS wave – Ventricular depolarisation T wave – Ventricular repolarisation

Why isn't atrial repolarisation visible on an ECG ?

Because it occurs during ventricular depolarisation (so hidden by QRS wave)

Identify the important timing intervals on an ECG.

– P-R interval (0.12-0.2s) – QRS complex width (0.06-0.12s) – Q-T interval (0.25-0.35s)

Draw a typical ECG, annotating it to include PR interval, PR segment, QRS complex, ST segment, and QT interval.

Refer to "Physiological Properties of the Heart" slide 17

True or False: Many parts of the heart exhibit spontaneous, rhythmical depolarisation

True