week 4 - cardiovascular physiology

Question 1

What is pathophysiology?

Answer 1

Deranged function in an individual or an organ that is due to disease

Question 2

What is aetiology/

Answer 2

It is the science that deals with the cause/origin of disease

Question 3

What is clinical epidemiology?

Answer 3

The study of populations in order to determine the frequency and distribution of disease

Question 4

What is histopathology?

Answer 4

The study of microscopic anatomical changes in diseased tissue

Question 5

What is cytopathology?

Answer 5

The study of disease changes within individual cells or cell types.

Question 6

What is cardiovascular function based on/

Answer 6

1. Cardiac pumping ability
2. Integrity of vasculature
3. Blood volume/composition.

Question 7

What is cardiac pumping ability?

Answer 7

How able the heart is able to contract and the ability of the electrical signal of the pacemaker

Question 8

What is integrity of vasculature?

Answer 8

there capacity of the blood vessels to exert their function
e.g. structural integrity

Question 9

What is the importance of blood volume/composition?

Answer 9

Having the right balance of water and electrolytes.
Having the right lipid composition

Question 10

What conditions can you get if there are issues with cardiovascular function?

Answer 10

Hypertension,
heart attacks
thrombosis
aneurysm
angina

Question 11

What are the 3 blood vessel layers?
(variable between vessel types)

Answer 11

Tunica Intima
Tunica Media
Tunica externa

Question 12

Describe the Tunica Intima?

Answer 12

It is the innermost layer, it lines the lumen
Made up of endothelial cells, basement membrane and internal elastic lamina

Question 13

Describe the Tunica Media/

Answer 13

The middle layer.
Made up of elastic fibres and smooth muscle so that it can stretch

Question 14

Describe the Tunica externa?

Answer 14

It is the outermost layer.
Made up[ of elastic tissue and collagen

Question 15

Howe is the structure of the artery related to its function?

Answer 15

Arteries carry blood away from the heart to the rest of the body at a HIGH pressure so has a more narrow lumen and thicker arterial walls so the blood can get flow through the artery at a high pressure.

Question 16

How is the structure of capillaries related to its function/

Answer 16

Capillaries are only 1 cell thick (made of endothelium, basement membrane)

This is so there is a fast exchange between substances

Also has a high surface area for fast exchange

Question 17

How is the structure of veins related to its function?

Answer 17

Has valves to prevent the back flow of blood.
Blood is carried at a low pressure which can result in pooling and clotting of blood.
Muscle contraction promotes venous return (the return of blood back to the heart)

Question 18

What 2 condition can affect the structure/function of blood vessels?

Answer 18

Atherosclerosis
Hypertension

Question 19

What is atherosclerosis?

Answer 19

It is when fatty materials deposits develop in the walls of medium/large arteries.

As a result, the blood vessel loses elasticity, hardening of vessel walls and narrowing of lumen.

Question 20

What are some modifiable risk factors off atherosclerosis?

Answer 20

hyperlipidaemia
hypertension
Smoking
Diabets
Some infection

Question 21

What are some non modifiable risk factors of atherosclerosis?

Answer 21

Age
Gender
Genetics

Question 22

What are the steps that occur to develop atherosclerosis?

Answer 22

1. Injury to endothelium
2. Vessel permeability changes, endothelium dysunctions the leukocytes
3. Smooth muscle cells migrate
4. Lipid accumulates
5. Mature plaque produced

Question 23

Describe what hypertension is ?

Answer 23

It is when you have high blood pressure - a blood pressure greater than 140mmHg

Can be the result of another condition

The patient can be predisposed to heart attack, stroke, heart failure etc

Question 23

What are the consequences of atherosclerosis?

Answer 23

It weakens the blood vessel wall, causing an aneurysm

The plaque can rupture and promote blood clotting, causing thrombosis/embolism

The plaque may grow and block the artery which is called stenosis

Question 24

What are the non modifiable risk factors of hypertension?

Answer 24

Age
Gender
Genetics

Question 25

What are the modifiable risk factors of hypertension?

Answer 25

High sodium intake
Excessive alcohol
Obesity
Stress

Question 26

Atherosclerosis and hypertension risk factors are kinda similar because they are linked???

Question 27

The body tries to maintain blood pressure in the blood vessels within a narrow range.

What happens if blood pressure becomes too high?

Answer 27

It can damage a blood vessel, maybe even rupture it, which can cause bleeding.

High blood pressure also makes the heart work harder/

Question 28

What is an aneurysm?

Answer 28

It is failure of the vessel wall. - blood filled dilation, bulge of the blood vessel

Can be caused by Hypertension and atherosclerosis as it weakens the vessel wall

If the aneurysm bursts, you get a drop in blood pressure and reduced tissue perfusion (the lack of oxygenated blood to areas of the body)

Can also promote blood clot formation.

Question 29

What is LaPlace’s Law?

Answer 29

It is where arterial wall tension is proportional to pressure times radius of the arterial conduit.

IT IS A POSITIUVE FFEDBACK LOOP - so as the diameter of the b load vessel increases, wall tension increases which promotes further diameter increase

Question 30

What is thrombosis/embolism?

Answer 30

It is where the blood vessels become blocked.

The blood vessels can become blocked by:
blood clots
fat
air
gas
Infected thrombus
Small tissue fragments

Question 31

What is Virchow’s Triad?

Answer 31

Virchow’s triad describes 3 factors that contribute to the development thrombosis.

Question 32

What are the 3 factors from Virchow’s triad that contribute towards an embolism>?

Answer 32

Changes in the wall of the blood vessel
Changes in blood flow - turbulence, stasis
Changes in blood constituents

Question 33

What are the consequences of thrombus / embolism formation?

Answer 33

Stroke
Pulmonary embolism
Ischaemic limb
Deep vein thrombosis

Question 34

Describe overall, what happens when there is a blockage or a rupture of a blood vessel?

Answer 34

1. If you have a blockage (thrombus/embolus) or a rupture (burst aneurysm), this can lead to the stopping of the perfusion of a region.
2. This can lead to ischaemia or infarction
3. The results of this are dependent on the region affected.

Question 35

What is acute myocardial infarction?

Answer 35

Also known as a heart attack.

This is when the blood supply to the heart is blocked.

Question 36

What is ischaemia and what can it cause?

Answer 36

It is a condition in which blood flow and oxygen are restricted/reduced to a part of the body.

This can cause tissue damage/death

Question 37

What are some risk factors of myocardial infarction?

Answer 37

angina
previous MI (myocardial infarction) or stroke
smoking
alcohol
diabetes

Question 38

What is a stroke?

Answer 38

An interruption of blood supply to some / all of the brain.

Can be caused by thrombosis, embolism or haemorrhage

Question 39

What can a stroke cause in the brain>?

Answer 39

The interruption of blood supply can cause ischaemia which can cause reduced neuronal function which can cause neuronal death (irreplaceable neurons)

Question 40

How are strokes categorised?

Answer 40

They are categorised by whether they are caused by an aneurysm or thrombosis/embolism

Question 41

What can poor blood flow cause/

Answer 41

It can lead to deep vein thrombosis - which is the formation of blood clots (thrombus’) in the deep veins.

Question 42

Why are the legs affected by distension?

Answer 42

Because when standing, the veins in the leg have to push blood upward to reach the heart against gravity.

Question 43

What are varicose veins?

Answer 43

They are abnormally enlarged superficial veins in the leg.