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Cardiac Cycle

fish heart - replaced simple tubular hearts 

  • tube w/ 4 chambers
    • atrium/sinus venosus - 1st 2 chambers, for collection
    • ventricle/conus arteriosus - last 2 chambers, for pumping
  • order of contraction - sinus venosus >> atrium >> ventricle >> conus arteriosus
  • blood passes through gills after going through heart >> much of pressure from pumping lost

amphibian/reptile heart - has 2 separate circulations due to lungs

  • pulmonary circulation - between heart and lungs
  • systemic circulation - between heart, rest of body
  • allows for pumping fully oxygenated blood
  • separated atriums prevent oxygenated/deoxygenated blood from mixing
  • aorta - major artery of systemic circulation
  • cutaneous respiration - breathing through the skin

mammalian/bird hearts - 4 chambered heart w/ separate atria/ventricles 

  • right atrium receives deoxygenated blood >> right ventricle pumps blood to lungs
  • left atrium receives oxygenated blood >> left ventricle pumps blood to body
  • double circulation - atrium/ventricles contract at same time
  • both ventricles must pump same amount of blood
  • heartbeats start in sinoatrial node (able to depolarize w/o neural activation from brain)

cardiac cycle - 2 separate pumping systems in a single organ 

  • diastole (rest) >> systole (contraction)
  • atrioventricular valves - between atria/ventricles
    • prevents blood backflow
    • tricuspid valve - on right side
    • bicuspid (mitral) valve - on left side
  • semilunar valves - between ventricles and arteries
    • pulmonary valve - on right side
    • aortic valve - on left side
  • coronary arteries - first arteries off the aorta, supplies heart
    • superior vena cava - drains upper body
    • inferior vena cava - drains lower body
  • sphygmomanometer - measures blood pressure
    • pressure must be large enough to push blood through capillaries, but not cause damage to arteries
    • systolic pressure - peak pressure during contraction
    • diastolic pressure - minimum pressure between heartbeats
    • hypertension - condition w/ very strong contractions
  • SA node depolarization >> AV (atrioventricular) depolarization >> bundle of His depolarization >> Purkinje fiber depolarization >> ventricle contraction
    • pace-making cell - fire action potentials on their own periodically
    • fibers blocked >> atria/ventricles don’t beat together
    • electrocardiogram (ECG/EKG) - records the depolarization through the heart
    • P wave = atrial depolarization
    • QRS complex = ventricular depolarization
    • T wave = ventricular repolarization (covers up atrial repolarization)

cardiac output - blood volume pumped by each ventricle per minute 

  • equal to amount of blood that travels through systemic/pulmonary circulations per minute
  • increase heart rate, blood volume, vasoconstriction >> increase blood pressure
    • baroreceptors - sense blood pressure changes
    • antidiuretic hormone (ADH) - aka vasopressin, stimulates kidneys to hold more water
    • aldosterone - maintains Na+, water retention in kidneys
    • atrial natriuretic hormone - secreted by the heart, lowers blood volume/pressure by getting rid of Na+ and water
    • nitric oxide - causes blood vessels to relax/dilate

cardiovascular diseases - leading cause of death in US 

  • arrhythmia - missing a heartbeat
  • fibrillation - desynchronized contraction of cardiac fibers
    • atrial fibrillation - decreases filling of ventricles >> not fatal
    • ventricular fibrillation - decreases amount of blood pumped to body >> could be fatal
  • heart attacks (cardial infarction) - due to lack of blood reaching a part of the heart
    • caused by blood clots
  • angina pectoris “chest pain”, not as severe as a heart attack
  • stroke - blood doesn’t reach the brain properly
    • effects depend on location of stroke in brain
  • atherosclerosis - accumulation of fat, muscle, or cholesterol in arteries
    • reduces blood flow
  • arteriosclerosis - hardening of arteries
    • calcium deposits in artery walls
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