Heart Anatomy & Structure
What is the approximate size of a normal human heart, and which cavity in the body holds it?
It is about the size of a fist and resides in the thoracic (chest) cavity
What percentage of total blood volume is made of liquid plasma versus cellular elements?
55% Plasma and 45% Cells (red cells, white cells, platelets)
What 4-word formula describes the sequential pathway of blood through a heart pump circuit?
VAVA (Vein, Atrium, Ventricle, Artery).
What specialized tissue serves as the heart's natural pacemaker, initiating the electrical impulse?
The SA Node (Sinoatrial Node)
What medical term describes the age-related hardening and loss of elasticity in arterial walls?
Arteriosclerosis
Where is the apex of the heart located anatomically?
The pointed bottom of the heart resting on the diaphragm, located 3 inches to the left of the sternum
What iron-containing protein inside red blood cells carries oxygen and gives blood its red color?
Hemoglobin
Which blood vessels are the most muscular and elastic, and carry blood away from the heart?
Arteries
Where does an electrical impulse travel immediately after leaving the Bundle of His?
To the Purkinje fibers
What is a localized weakness or ballooning in the wall of an artery called?
An Aneurysm
What muscular wall separates the right and left sides of the heart, and what happens if a hole develops in it?
The septum
What condition results when a person has too few red blood cells or insufficient hemoglobin?
Anemia
In which microscopic blood vessels (one cell thick) does oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange take place?
Capillaries
What phase of the cardiac cycle represents the relaxation and filling phase, and what phase follows it?
Diastole (filling), followed by Systole (contraction)
Why is a myocardial infarction (heart attack) life-threatening?
Damaged heart muscle tissue cannot pump blood effectively to vital organs
Which heart chamber has the thickest muscular walls, and where does it pump blood?
The Left Ventricle; it pumps oxygenated blood out to the entire body via the aorta
What are the two main categories of white blood cells (leukocytes), and which two cell types are classified as Agranulocytes?
Granulocytes and Agranulocytes; the Agranulocytes are Lymphocytes and Monocytes
What specific blood vessels carry deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs?
Pulmonary Arteries
What is the normal resting heart rate range for a healthy adult, and what is a heart rate over 100 bpm called?
60 to 100 beats per minute; a rate over 100 bpm is Tachycardia
What surgical procedure expands narrowed coronary arteries using a balloon catheter?
Balloon Angioplasty
What valve prevents the backflow of blood as it leaves the Right Atrium?
The Tricuspid Valve
Which specific blood type is considered the universal donor because it can be given to all blood types?
O Negative
Defective, incompetent valves in veins lead to which two common medical conditions?
Varicose veins and Hemorrhoids
What diagnostic test records the electrical activity of the heart and can detect arrhythmias like fibrillation?
An Electrocardiogram (EKG / ECG)
Which malignant disorder of the blood and bone marrow can be treated with chemotherapy, radiation, or a bone marrow transplant?
Leukemia