HAPP111; WEEK 13: CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM

CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM o DEOXYGENATED BLOOD

 The major function of the cardiovascular system is transportation o OXYGENATED BLOOD
THE HEART
 The heart functions as a double
pump.
The right side works as the
pulmonary
circuit pump.

VALVES
 The heart is equipped with four valves, which allow blood to flow
in only one direction through the heart chambers

CHORDAE TENDINEAE

COVERINGS AND WALL

 The heart is enclosed by a double sac of serous membrane called
the pericardium

THE HEART WALL

 The myocardium consists of thick bundles of cardiac muscle
twisted and whorled into ring-like arrangements. It is the layer
that actually contracts
 The endocardium is a thin, glistening sheet of endothelium that
lines the heart chambers. It is continuous with the linings of the
blood vessels leaving and entering the heart.
CHAMBERS AND ASSOCIATED GREAT VESSELS

VALVE
 The AV valves are open during heart relaxation and closed when the
ventricles are contracting.
 The semilunar valves are closed during heart relaxation and are
forced open when the ventricles contract.
CARDIAC CIRCULATION
 The coronary arteries branch from the base of the aorta and
encircle the heart in the coronary sulcus (atrioventricular groove)
 The heart has four hollow chambers or cavities: two atria, and two at the junction of the atria and ventricles
ventricles  The coronary arteries and their major branches are compressed
 The superior atria are primarily receiving chambers when the ventricles are contracting and fill when the heart is
 The inferior, thick-walled ventricles are the discharging chambers, or relaxed
actual pumps of the heart. When they contract, blood is propelled out  The myocardium is drained by several cardiac veins, which empty
of the heart and into the circulation. into an enlarged vessel on the backside of the heart called the
PULMONARY CIRCULATION VS. SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION coronary sinus.

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 HAPP111; WEEK 13: CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
 The coronary sinus empties into the right atrium  It then moves into successively smaller and smaller arteries and
INTRINSIC CONDUCTION SYSTEM OF THE HEART: then into the arterioles which feed the capillary beds in tissues
SETTING THE  Capillary beds are drained by venules, which in turn empty into
BASIC RHYTHM veins that finally empty into the great veins (venae cavae)
 Cardiac muscles can and do contract spontaneously and entering the heart
independently, even if all nervous connections are severed
 These spontaneous contractions occur in a regular and continuous
way.
 Although cardiac muscle can beat independently, the muscle cells in
different areas of the heart have different rhythms
 Two systems that act to regulate heart activity: the nerves of the
autonomic nervous system and the intrinsic conduction system, or
nodal system
INTRINSIC CONDUCTION SYSTEM
It is composed of a Sinoatrial (SA)
 Only the tiny hair-like capillaries, which extend and branch
special tissue found node – one of the through the tissues and connect the smallest arteries (arterioles) to
nowhere else in the most important the smallest veins (venules) directly serve the needs of the body
body; it is much like parts on the cells
a cross between intrinsic conduction
muscle and nervous system  It is only through their walls that exchanges between the tissue
tissue cells and the blood can occur.
Atrioventricular Atrioventricular MICROSCOPIC ANATOMY OF BLOOD VESSELS
(AV) node – found (AV) bundle
at the junction of the (bundle of His)
atria and ventricles
Right and left Purkinje fibers –
bundle branches – spread within the
located in the muscle of the
interventricular ventricle walls
septum

o The SA node starts each heartbeat and sets the pace for the whole
heart. It is often called the pacemaker.
o From the SA node, the impulse spreads through the atria to the AV
node, and then the atria contract
o At the AV node, the impulse is delayed briefly to give the atria time
to finish contracting It then passes rapidly through the AV bundle,
the bundle branches, and the Purkinje fibers, resulting in a
“wringing” contraction of the ventricles that begins at the heart
apex and moves toward the atrial
 Tachycardia – rapid heart rate (over 100 beats per minute) TUNICS
 Bradycardia – heart rate that is substantially slower than normal  Except for the microscopic capillaries, the walls of blood vessels
(less than 60 beats per minute) have three coats, or tunics.
 Systole – heart contraction  The tunica intima is a thin layer of endothelium that lines the
 Diastole – heart relaxation interior or lumen of the vessels.
 Cardiac cycle – refers to the events of once complete heartbeat,  The tunica media is the bulky middle coat, and is mostly smooth
during which both atria and ventricles contract and then relax muscle and elastic tissue.
 Cardiac output – amount of blood pumped out by each side of  The tunica externa is composed largely of fibrous connective tissue,
the heart (ventricle) in one minute. It is the product of heart rate which functions to support and protect the vessels.
and stroke volume STRUCTURAL DIFFERENCE BETWEEN ARTERIES, VEINS
 Stroke volume – volume of blood pumped out by a ventricle with AND CAPILLARIES
each heartbeat
HOMEOSTATIC IMBALANCES OF THE HEART
 Pericarditis – inflammation of the pericardium that results in a
decrease in the amount of serous fluid
 Incompetent valve – forces the heart to pump and repump the
same blood because the valve does not close properly and blood
backflows
 Valvular stenosis – the valve flaps become stiff, often because of
repeated bacterial infection of the endocardium (endocarditis).
This forces the heart to contract more vigorously than normal
 Heart block – ventricles begin to beat at their own rate, which is
much slower, due to damage to the AV node
 Ischemia – lack of adequate blood supply to the heart muscles  The walls of arteries are usually much thicker than the walls of the
may lead to fibrillation veins. Their tunica media tends to be much heavier.
 Fibrillation – rapid uncoordinated shuddering of the heart  Arteries, which are closer to pumping action of the heart, must be
muscles which makes the heart totally useless as a pump and is a able to expand as blood is forced into them and then recoil passively
major cause of death from heart attacks in adults as the blood flows off into the circulation.
BLOOD VESSELSBLOOD VESSELS  Their walls must be strong and stretchy enough to take these
 Blood circulates inside the blood vessels, which form a closed continuous changes in pressure
transport system, the so called vascular system
 The transparent walls of the capillaries are only one cell layer thick
 As the heart beats, blood is propelled into the large arteries
– just the tunica intima
leaving the heart

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 HAPP111; WEEK 13: CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
 Because of this, exchanges are easily made between the blood and
the tissue cells.
 The tiny capillaries tend to form interweaving networks called
capillary beds.
 The flow of blood from an arteriole to a venule through a capillary
bed is called microcirculation.
 The capillary bed consist of two types of vessels: a vascular shunt,
a vessel that directly connects the arteriole and venule at opposite
ends of the bed, and true capillaries, the actual exchange vessels.
 A cuff of smooth muscle fibers called a precapillary sphincter
surrounds the root of each true capillary and act as a valve to
regulate the flow of blood into the capillary
GROSS ANATOMY OF THE BLOOD VESSELS
MAJOR ARTERIES OF THE SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION
o The aorta is the largest artery of the body where it issues from the
left ventricle of the heart
o The aorta springs upward from the left ventricles of the heart as the
ascending aorta, arches to the left as the aortic arch, and then
plunges downward through the thorax following the spine as
thoracic aorta, to finally pass through the diaphragm into the
abdominopelvic cavity where it becomes the abdominal aorta.
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 Arterial branches of the Ascending aorta
o Right (R.) and left (L.) coronary arteries, which serve the heart
 Arterial branches of the Aortic Arch
o The brachiocephalic trunk (1st branch off the aortic arch) splits
into R. common carotid and R. subclavian artery
o L. common carotid (2nd branch) divides into L. internal carotid
which serves the brain and L. external carotid which serves the skin
and muscles of the head and neck
o L. subclavian artery (3rd branch) gives off an important branch,
the vertebral artery, which serves part of the brain. The subclavian
artery becomes the axillary artery and then continues into the arm
as the brachial artery, which supplies the arm. At the elbow, the
brachial artery splits to form the radial and ulnar arteries which
serve the forearm
 Arterial branches of the Thoracic Aorta
o The intercostal arteries supply the muscles of the thorax wall. Other
branches supply the lungs (bronchial arteries), the esophagus
(esophageal arteries) and diaphragm (phrenic arteries)
 Arterial branches of the Abdominal Aorta
o The celiac trunk is the 1st branch of the abdominal aorta. It has three
branches: the L. gastric artery supplies the stomach, the splenic
artery supplies the spleen, and the
common hepatic artery supplies the
liver
o The unpaired superior mesenteric
artery supplies most of the small
intestine and first half of the colon
o The renal (R. and L.) arteries serve
the kidneys
o The gonadal (R. and L.) arteries
supply the gonads. (Ovarian and
testicular arteries)
o Lumbar arteries serves the heavy
muscles of the abdomen and trunk
walls
o Inferior mesenteric artery supply the second half of the large
intestine
 Arterial branches of the Abdominal Aorta
o Common iliac (R. and L.) arteries are the final branches of the
abdominal aorta. Each divides into an internal iliac artery which
supplies the pelvic organs (bladder, rectum, etc.) and an external iliac
artery which enters the thigh, where it becomes the femoral artery.
o The femoral artery and its branch, the deep femoral artery, serve the
thigh.
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 HAPP111; WEEK 13: CARDIOVASCULAR SYSTEM
o At the knee, the femoral artery becomes the popliteal artery, which
then splits into anterior and posterior tibial arteries, which supplies
the leg and foot.
o The anterior tibial artery terminates in the dorsalis pedis artery, which
supplies the dorsum of the foot
MAJOR VEINS OF THE SYSTEMIC CIRCULATION
 Many veins are superficial and some are easily seen and palpated on
the body surface
 Major systemic arteries branch off the aorta, whereas the veins
converge on the venae cavae, which enter the right atrium of the
heart
 Veins draining the head and arms empty into the superior vena
cava and those draining the lower body empty into the inferior
vena cava
 Veins draining into the Superior vena cava
 The radial and ulnar veins are deep veins draining the forearm.
They unite to form the brachial vein, which drains the arm and
empties into the axillary vein
 The cephalic vein provides for the superficial drainage of the lateral
aspect of the arm and empties into the axillary vein
 The basilic vein drains the medial aspect of the arm and empties
into the brachial vein proximally. The basilic and cephalic vein are
joined at the anterior aspect of the elbow by the median cubital
vein
 Subclavian vein received blood from the arm through the axillary
vein and from skin and muscles of the head through the external
jugular vein
 The vertebral vein drains the posterior part of the head
 The internal jugular vein drains the dural sinuses of the brain
 The brachiocephalic vein received venous drainage from the
subclavian, vertebral, and internal jugular veins. The
brachiocephalic veins form the superior vena cava which enters the
heart
 The azygos vein drains the thorax and enters the superior vena cava
just before it joins the heart
 Veins draining into the Inferior vena cava
 The anterior and posterior tibial veins and fibular vein drain the
leg. The posterior tibial vein becomes the popliteal vein at the knee
an then the femoral vein in the thigh. The femoral vein becomes the
external iliac vein as it enters the pelvis
 Great saphenous vein are the longest veins in the body, and
received superficial drainage of the leg
 Common iliac vein is formed by the union of external iliac vein
and the internal iliac vein on its own side. The common iliac veins
join to form the inferior vena cava, which then ascends superiorly in
the abdominal cavity
 The R. gonadal vein drains the right gonads, and the L. gonadal
vein empties into the left renal vein superiorly
 The renal (R. and L.) veins drain the kidneys
 The hepatic portal vein drains the digestive tract organs and carries
this blood through the liver before it enters the systemic circulation
 The hepatic (R. and L.) veins drain the liver
PHYSIOLOGY OF CIRCULATION (VITAL SIGNS)
ARTERIAL PULSE
 The alternating expansion and recoil of an artery that occurs with
each beat of the left ventricle creates a pressure wave–a pulse–that
travels through the entire arterial system
 The pulse averages 70 to 76 beats per minute in a normal resting
person.
BLOOD PRESSURE
 Blood pressure in the pressure the blood exerts against the inner
walls of the blood vessels, and it is the force that keeps blood
circulating continuously even between heartbeats.
MEASURING BLOOD PRESSURE
 Two arterial blood pressure measurements are made:
 Systolic pressure – pressure in the arteries at the peak of
ventricular contraction
 Diastolic pressure – pressure when the ventricles are relaxing
 Blood pressures are reported in millimeter of mercury (mm Hg),
with the systolic pressure written first
 Measured using auscultatory method

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