Cardiovascular Physiology Overview for Medical Students

Cardiovascular System Overview

• The core functions of the cardiovascular system are to transport oxygen, nutrients, and hormones to cells and remove waste products.

Heart Function

• The heart serves as a pump in the cardiovascular system.

Blood Vessels

• The main function of blood vessels is to transport essential substances, including oxygen, nutrients, and hormones.

Essential Substances for Transportation

• Oxygen, nutrients, and hormones are essential substances that need to be transported by the cardiovascular system.

Cardiovascular System in Protection

• The main role of the cardiovascular system in protection is to transport white blood cells to areas of the body where they are needed to fight infection.

Blood Supply to the Heart

• In 90% of people, the AV node is supplied by the right coronary artery, and in 55% of people, the SA node is supplied by the right coronary artery.

B-Type Natriuretic Peptide

• The primary function of B-Type natriuretic peptide produced by ventricular myocytes is to help regulate blood pressure and volume.

Coronary Arteries

• The left coronary artery bifurcates into the left anterior descending (LAD) artery and left circumflex artery (LCA).

Coronary Veins

• The middle cardiac vein lies in the posterior atrioventricular groove and opens into the right atrium just to the left of the mouth of the inferior vena cava.

Pacemaker Function

• The SA node is the dominant pacemaker in health, with an intrinsic rate of about 100 beats per minute (b/min).