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systemic
affecting the entire body rather than just a single organ or specific body part
arteries
strong blood tubes that carry blood away from your heart to the rest of your body
pulmonary arteries
blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood away from the right side of the heart and into the lungs
(SA)node
the natural pacemaker of the heart that generates electrical impulses to set your heart rate and rhythm
systole
the phase of the heartbeat when the heart muscle contracts and pumps blood out of the chambers into the body and lungs
circulation
the continuous movement of blood through the heart and blood vessels to transport oxygen, nutrients, and waste products
arterioles
very small blood vessels that branch off from larger arteries and connect to tiny capillaries
Superior vena cava
a short, wide vein that carries deoxygenated (oxygen-poor) blood from the upper half of the body directly into the right atrium of the heart
atrioventricular
relating to or situated between an atrium (the upper heart chamber) and a ventricle (the lower heart chamber)
diastole
Diastole is the relaxation phase of the cardiac cycle when the heart chambers fill with blood
left atrium
one of the four chambers of the heart, located on the upper left side, that receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and passes it to the left ventricle
venules
a tiny blood vessel that collects deoxygenated blood from capillary beds and carries it into larger veins
inferior vena cava
the largest vein in the human body
(AV)node
a specialized cluster of heart cells that delays and relays electrical signals from the upper heart chambers to the lower chambers
systolic pressure
the top number in a reading that measures the force of blood against your artery walls when your heart beats
left ventricle
lower left chamber of the heart that pumps oxygen-rich blood out to the rest of the body
Right ventricle
one of the four chambers of the heart that pumps oxygen-poor blood to the lungs
nodal system
a cable-free seismic recording network in geophysics, a circuit-solving method in electronics, or the heart's natural pacemaker network in biology
specialized nerve-like fibers in the heart
the bottom number in a blood
aorta
the largest artery in the human body
Pulmonary trunk
a short, wide major artery that carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle of the heart to the lungs
sinoatrial
the natural pacemaker of the heart that sets its normal rhythm and rate
Purkinje fibers
specialized conducting cells in the heart that rapidly transmit electrical signals to trigger synchronized ventricular contractions
Sphygmomanometer
a medical device used to measure a person's arterial blood pressure