Heart Anatomy
Identify the wall that divides the left and right sides of the heart
Septum
Formula: Cardiac Output (CO)
CO=Heart Rate (HR)×Stroke Volume (SV)
Where does the normal electrical impulse of the heart originate?
Sinoatrial (SA) node
Identify the three most serious immediate consequences of an AMI.
Sudden death (cardiac arrest), cardiogenic shock, and congestive heart failure (CHF).
What three components are required for adequate perfusion?
A functioning pump (heart), adequate fluid volume (blood), and an appropriate container size (vessel tone).
Which heart chambers are responsible for receiving incoming blood?
Atria (singular: atrium)
Why is the left ventricle significantly more muscular than the right ventricle?
It must pump blood at high pressure to the entire body via the aorta.
Beck's Triad: Identify the three clinical signs indicating Cardiac Tamponade.
Bilateral JVD, narrowing pulse pressure (hypotension), and muffled heart tones.
How does the parasympathetic nervous system affect the cardiovascular and respiratory rates?
It slows both the heart and respiratory rates.
Contrast 'Systolic' versus 'Diastolic' blood pressure.
Systolic is the maximum pressure during left ventricle contraction; Diastolic is the pressure while the ventricle is at rest.
Name the valve through which blood passes as it moves from the right atrium to the right ventricle.
Tricuspid valve
Define 'Stroke Volume'.
The volume of blood ejected with each individual ventricular contraction.
Identify three conditions that can mimic a stroke.
Hypoglycemia, postictal state, and subdural or epidural bleeding.
Which component of the Autonomic Nervous System (ANS) is responsible for the 'fight or flight' response?
Sympathetic nervous system
What is the underlying cause of chest pain in myocardial ischemia?
A decrease in blood flow to the heart muscle, resulting in an oxygen supply-demand imbalance.
Which specific blood vessels return oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium?
Pulmonary veins
Term for the heart's ability to generate and conduct its own electrical impulses spontaneously.
Automaticity
What is the primary function of the Atrioventricular (AV) node?
To slow the electrical signal for 0.1 to 0.2 seconds, allowing the ventricles to fill with blood.
Define 'Cardiogenic Shock'.
What is a late sign of decompensated cardiogenic shock?
Define 'Atherosclerosis'.
A disorder where calcium and cholesterol build up to form plaque inside arterial walls, obstructing blood flow
Trace the flow of blood immediately after it leaves the right ventricle.
It passes through the pulmonic valve into the pulmonary artery toward the lungs.
Where do the coronary arteries originate?
At the first part of the aorta, just above the aortic valve.
Sequence the electrical conduction pathway of the heart starting from the SA node.
SA node → AV node → Bundle of His → Right/Left Bundle Branches → Purkinje fibers.
What is the primary pathophysiology of Left-sided Heart Failure?
The left ventricle cannot pump effectively, causing blood to back up into the pulmonary veins and fluid to enter the lungs (pulmonary edema).
Differentiate between Stable and Unstable Angina.
Stable angina is triggered by exertion and relieved by rest/meds; unstable angina occurs at rest or is unpredictable/intense.