Cardiology I – A Review of Cardiovascular Anatomy and Physiology
by Cwanza A. Pinckney, M.D.
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Table of Contents
- Course Home
- Objectives
- Matching Exercise
- Introduction
- Anatomy: The Heart
- Anatomy: The Vessels
- Physiology: Introduction
- Physiology: Review of Circulation
- Physiology: The Cardiac Cycle
- Physiology: Innervation of the Heart
- Cardiac Electrophysiology: Introduction
- Cardiac Electrophysiology: Electrolytes
- Cardiac Electrophysiology: The Cardiac Conduction System
- Sample Cases
- Case 1: Cardiac Tamponade
- Figure 1: Assessment
- Figure 2: Management
- Case 2: Cocaine Overdose
- Figure 3: Assessment
- Figure 4: Management
- Case 3: Hemorrhagic Shock
- Figure 5: Assessment
- Figure 6: Management
- Conclusion
- References
- Bibliography
Physiology: Introduction
The most important function of the cardiovascular system is to supply the tissues of the body with oxygen and nutrients. Any disruption of this process can result in tissue dysfunction. Therefore, it is important that you have a solid working knowledge of normal cardiovascular physiology, so that you can better understand how alterations in circulatory function may affect a patient.
The following are some basic definitions pertaining to cardiovascular physiology that you may hear being used around the ED, as well as by your patients.
Basic Definitions Pertaining to Cardiovascular Physiology:
-Ejection Fraction: Is the ratio of the amount of blood ejected from the left ventricle to the amount of blood contained in the left ventricle immediately prior to contraction.
-A healthy heart ejects around two thirds of the blood that is present in the ventricles at the end of filling (known as diastole).
-Stroke Volume: Is the volume of blood ejected by the heart with one contraction.
-Cardiac Output: Is the amount of blood that can be pumped by the heart in one minute.
-The cardiac output is calculated by the stroke volume multiplied by the heart rate.
-Blood Pressure: Is the tension the blood exerts on the walls of the arteries.
-Blood pressure is determined by cardiac output and peripheral vascular resistance. Peripheral vascular resistance increases when vessels constrict and decreases when vessels dilate.