Cardiovascular System - Lecture 11

The difference in pressure between two points in the circulatory system.

The heart's contraction generates pressure driving blood through the circulatory system. It is highest in the left ventricle during systole.

Elastic arteries expand during systole and recoil during diastole, helping to maintain blood flow.

The pressure difference between the heart and the tissues drives blood flow from the heart to the rest of the body.

The pressure within the arteries, measured at the brachial artery.

The highest pressure in the arteries, when the heart contracts.

The lowest pressure in the arteries, when the heart relaxes.

The average pressure in the arteries over one cardiac cycle. Calculated as Diastolic Pressure plus 1/3 of Pulse Pressure.

A series of electrical and mechanical events that coordinate blood flow through the heart and into circulation during one heartbeat.

The specialized tissue in the heart responsible for generating and conducting electrical impulses that initiate and coordinate contraction and relaxation.

The period during which the heart muscle contracts, expelling blood from the chambers.

The period during which the heart muscle relaxes, allowing chambers to refill with blood.

The specialized cells in the heart that initiate and regulate the heartbeat. They are responsible for generating electrical impulses.

The primary pacemaker of the heart located in the right atrium. It generates electrical impulses for the heart to contract.

The region in the heart that acts as a gate between the atria and ventricles, slowing down electrical impulses to allow the atria to completely contract before the ventricles.

A pathway that carries electrical impulses from the AV node to the ventricles, ensuring coordinated ventricular contraction.

The branches of the Bundle of His that spread out to the ventricles, further distributing electrical impulses for coordinated contraction.

Fibers in the ventricles that receive electrical impulses from the bundle branches and rapidly distribute them to all parts of the ventricular muscle, ensuring coordinated contraction.

A recording of the electrical activity of the heart, reflecting the depolarization and repolarization of cardiac muscle cells during the cardiac cycle.

The first wave on an ECG that represents atrial depolarization, leading to atrial contraction.

The complex on an ECG that represents ventricular depolarization, leading to ventricular contraction.

The wave on an ECG that represents ventricular repolarization, leading to ventricular relaxation.

The period during which the heart's ventricles contract, increasing internal pressure, leading to the opening of the aortic valve and ejection of blood into the aorta for circulation.

The cardiovascular system is responsible for transporting blood throughout the body, delivering essential nutrients and oxygen to tissues while removing waste products.

The cardiovascular system consists of the heart, blood vessels (arteries, veins, capillaries), and blood.

Haemodynamics is the study of blood flow and the forces that govern it. It involves understanding how blood pressure, vessel diameter, and blood viscosity influence blood flow.

Pressure difference (ΔP) is the difference in pressure between two points in a blood vessel, driving blood from the higher pressure area to the lower pressure area.

Vascular resistance opposes blood flow and is determined by factors like vessel diameter, blood viscosity, and vessel length. Narrower vessels and thicker blood create more resistance.

Darcy's Law states that the flow of a fluid (blood) through a porous medium (blood vessels) is directly proportional to the pressure difference and inversely proportional to the resistance. This means higher pressure difference leads to higher flow, while higher resistance leads to lower flow.

The cardiovascular pressure gradient refers to the difference in blood pressure between the heart and the rest of the body. This pressure gradient drives blood flow from the heart to the tissues.

Blood pressure values are measures of the force of blood against the walls of blood vessels. They are typically expressed as systolic pressure over diastolic pressure (e.g., 120/80 mmHg).