Cardiovascular System Summary

Summary:

This summary provides an overview of the cardiovascular system, including the functions of the heart, blood flow, valves, layers of the heart, pulmonary and systemic circulation, and the cardiac conduction system. It explains the role of different heart chambers, valves, and blood vessels in circulating oxygenated and deoxygenated blood throughout the body. The electrical activities of the heart and their representation on an electrocardiogram (ECG) are described. Factors affecting cardiac output, such as heart rate, stroke volume, preload, afterload, and contractility, are discussed. The control of heart rate by the autonomic nervous system and various physiological factors is also addressed.

Excerpt:

Cardiovascular System Summary

Anatomy 202 – Cardiovascular System Summary and Study Guide

• Functions of the heart – systemic flow of blood throughout the body and pulmonary flow of blood to and from the lungs. Pumps blood throughout the body via the vessels of the circulatory system, supplying oxygen and nutrients to the tissues and removing carbon dioxide and other wastes
• Blood flows from the right atrium to the right ventricle, then goes to the lungs; from there, it flows to the left atrium and left ventricle.

Valves – they keep the blood flowing in the right direction. Atrioventricular valves are the two valves between the atria and ventricles. One is the tricuspid valve, and the other is the mitral valve. The tricuspid valve is between the right atrium and the right ventricle, and the mitral valve is between the left and left ventricles. The papillary muscles tet These two valves to the heart’s walls. Chordae Tendinae keeps the valves from flipping backwards. The two semilunar valves are the pulmonary valve and the aortic valve.

• The interventricular septum has a membranous part and a muscular part. A ventricular septal defect most commonly occurs in the membranous part of the interventricular septum, where blood communicates through both ventricles.
• There are three layers to the heart muscle – from the inside out, is endocardium, myocardium and pericardium. The pericardium has two layers, an inner and outer layer; in between them, there is a gap with a little fluid.