MAINTENANCE OF THE

BODY

CARDIOVASCULAR
SYSTEM
 OVERVIEW

2. Heart
circulation 3. Cardiac
1. Heart cycle
structure
CARDIOVASCULAR
SYSTEM

5. Blood flow, 4.
blood pressure and Conduction
resistance system

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 LESSON OUTCOMES

At the end of the chapter, students should be able to:

• Describe and illustrate heart anatomy
• Describe the function of different structure in heart
• Describe cardiac cycle
• Describe the conduction system of the heart
• Define and calculate cardiac output
• Discuss factors affecting cardiac output
• Describe blood flow in the heart
• Describe blood flow in arteries, capillaries and veins
• Define blood pressure and discuss factors affecting it.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 Circulatory system is build to rapidly transport blood to every
living cell in the body.
 Two main elements of CV system:
 Muscular pump – heart – the generates the pressure
required to move blood throughout the body
 Blood vessels – which basically are transport tubes to
distribute the blood throughout the body

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

STRUCTURE OF THE HEART

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 STRUCTURE OF THE HEART

 Heart enclosed in double walled sac –

pericardium
 Protects and anchors the heart
 Prevents overfilling of the heart with blood
 Allows the heart to work in a relatively friction
free environment

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

STRUCTURE OF THE HEART

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 LAYERS OF HEART WALL

Layers of heart wall

1. Epicardium : the outermost (visceral)
layer, often infiltrated with fat.
2. Myocardium : the contracting layer,
composed of cardiac muscle that
arranged in spiral bundles.
3. Endocardium : white sheet of
endothelium which located on the inner
myocardial surface. It continues with
endothelial linings of the blood vessels.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
LAYERS OF HEART WALL
 STRUCTURE OF THE HEART :
CHAMBERS AND VESSELS
 Heart consists of four chambers:
 two superior atria
 two inferior ventricles
 Separated by internal partition:
 interatrial septum separate the atria
 interventricular septum separates the ventricles.
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
 STRUCTURE OF THE HEART :
CHAMBERS AND VESSELS
 Atria
 receiving chambers for blood returning to the heart
from the circulation.
 Minimal contractions to push blood into ventricles,
thus atria are relatively thin walled chambers as they
contribute little to the pumping activity.
 Ventricles
 Ridges in internal wall and papillary muscles : valve.
 Discharging chambers or actual pumps of the heart.
 Ventricles contract and propelled blood into
circulation.
 Difference between atria and ventricles is reflected in
much more massive ventricular wall.
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
Tricuspid

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 STRUCTURE OF THE HEART

 Right atrium: receives deoxygenated blood from the body

 Right ventricle: pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs
 Left atrium: receives oxygenated blood from the lungs
 Left ventricle: pumps oxygenated blood to the body

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 VALVES OF THE HEART

i. Atrioventricular valves:
 located between the atria and the
ventricles
 Tricuspid: between right atrium and
ventricle
 Bicuspid: between left atrium and
ventricle

ii. Semilunar valves:

 Located between the ventricles and
arteries leaving the heart
 Pulmonary: between right ventricle and
pulmonary trunk
 Aortic: between left ventricle and aorta
VALVES OF THE HEART
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
 STRUCTURE OF THE HEART

Chordae tendineae:
 heart strings, are cord-like tendons that connect the papillary
muscles to the tricuspid valve and the bicuspid valve in the
heart.
 preventing the valves from moving into the atria during
ventricular contraction.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
PULMONARY AND SYSTEMIC CIRCULATIONS
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
 PULMONARY CIRCULATIONS

 Pulmonary circulation
 Between heart and lungs (to and from the lungs)
 Blood pumps to lungs via pulmonary arteries.
 Blood returns to heart via pulmonary veins.
 Right side of heart is pulmonary circuit pump.
 Blood from the body is oxygen-poor and carbon dioxide-rich.
 It enters the right atrium
 Begins on the right side of the heart.
 Blood from the body organs enters the right atrium through the vena
cava.
 Right atrium  right ventricle  pulmonary arteries  LUNGS 
CO2 leaves the blood, O2 enters the bloodstream  pulmonary
veins
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
 Pulmonary artery Aorta

Pulmonary
artery
Right
atrium Left
atrium

Semilunar Semilunar
valve valve

Atrioventricular Atrioventricular
valve valve

Right ventricle Left ventricle

 SYSTEMIC CIRCULATIONS

 Systemic circulation
Between heart and body tissues (to and from all body tissues)
 Blood pumps to body tissues via aorta.
 Blood returns to heart via superior and inferior vena cava.

 Blood enters left atrium  passes through a valve  left

ventricle pump oxygen-rich blood into aorta  blood is
distributed to other arteries of the systemic circuit.
 Blood releases the oxygen and takes on carbon dioxide.
 And the CO2 rich blood the returns to the heart through veins.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

PULMONARY AND SYSTEMIC CIRCULATIONS
 CORONARY CIRCULATIONS

 Coronary circulation
 The shortest circulation in the body.
 Function in supplying heart tissue with blood.
 Arteries supply this blood is called coronary arteries – arising from the
base of aorta and encircling the heart in the coronary sulcus
 Coronary circulation
 Vessels that drain the cardiac muscle of the heart : coronary veins
 Coronary veins collect the oxygen poor blood and return it to the
coronary sinus which delivers blood into the right atrium.
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
HEART PHYSIOLOGY
CARDIAC CYCLE

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 CARDIAC CYCLE

 Each heartbeat is called a cardiac cycle.

 All events associated with blood flow through heart during one complete
heart beat.
 When the heart beats, first the two atria contract at the same time; then
the two ventricles contract at the same time.
 Then all chambers relax.
 Systole : contraction of heart muscle
 Diastole : relaxation of heart muscle.
 The heart contracts or beats about 70 times a minute and each heartbeat
lasts about 0.85 second
 Normal adult rate (at rest) : 60 – 80 beats per minute.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 CARDIAC CYCLE

1. Late diastole: all chambers relax, filling with blood.

2. Atrial systole: atria contract, add 20% more blood to
ventricles.
3. Isovolumic ventricular contraction: closes AV valves ("lub"),
builds pressure.
4. Ventricular ejection: pushes open semi lunar valves, blood
forced out.
5. Ventricular relaxation: aortic back flow slams semi lunar
valves shut ("dup") AV valves open refilling starts – back to
start of cycle.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

CARDIAC CYCLE AND PRESSURES
 “LUP-DUP”

 When the heart beats, the familiar “lub-dup” sound occurs.

 The longer and lower-pitched “lub” is caused by vibrations
occurring when the AV valves close due to ventricular
contraction.
 The shorter and sharper “dup” is heard when the semilunar
valves close due to back pressure of blood in the arteries
 A heart murmur, or a slight slush sound after the “lub,” is often
due to ineffective valves, which allow blood to pass back into
the atria after AV valves have closed
 Rheumatic fever resulting from a bacterial infection is one
possible cause of a faulty valve, particularly the bicuspid valve.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

CONDUCTING SYSTEM
(INTRINSIC CONTROL
OF HEARTBEAT)

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 INTRINSIC CONTROL OF HEARTBEAT

 Conducting system relay action

potential through the heart.
 The rhythmical contraction of the atria
and ventricles is due to the intrinsic
conduction system of the heart.
 Nodal tissue, which has both muscular
and nervous characteristic.
 SA (sinoatrial) node is located in the
upper dorsal wall of the right atrium
 AV (atrioventricular) node is located in
the base of the right atrium very near
the septum
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
 INTRINSIC CONTROL OF HEARTBEAT

 SA node or pacemaker, initiates the

heartbeat and causes the atria to contract
on average every 0.85 seconds.
 When impulses reach the AV node, there
is a slight delay (0.1s) that allows the atria
to finish their contraction.
 The signal for the ventricles to contract travels from the AV node
through the two branches of the AV bundle before reaching the
smaller Purkinje fibers.
 The AV bundle, its branches, and the Purkinje fibers consist of
specialized cardiac muscle fibers that efficiently cause the ventricles
to contract. BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
CONDUCTION SYSTEM
OF THE HEART

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 CARDIAC OUTPUT

 The volume of blood each ventricle pumps per minute is the

cardiac output
 Two factors determine cardiac output:
 Heart rate (number of beats per minute)
 Stroke volume: amount of blood pumped by a ventricle in a single
contraction.
CO = HR x SV
 Average stroke volume in humans: 70 mL.
 Resting heart rate: 72 beats per minute
 Cardiac output = ……………??
 During heavy exercise, cardiac output increases as much as
fivefold.
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
Stroke Volume
• SV depends on venous return (amount of blood entering the
heart and distending the ventricles).
• The higher the volume of venous return, the higher the stroke
volume.
• The higher the speed of venous returns, the higher the stroke
volume.
• Exercise will increase venous return because it results in an
increased heart rate and force.
• Severe blood loss or extremely rapid heart rate will decrease
stroke volume.
 Factors affecting Heart Rate

1. Neural factor
• Sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous
system increases heart rate by increasing the SA and
AV nodal activity.
• Parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous
system decreases heart rate by decreasing the SA
and AV nodal activity.
2. Hormonal factor
• Epinephrine and thyroxine increase heart rate.
3. Electrolytes / Ions
• Low Ca2+ depress the heart, high Ca2+ causes
prolonged contraction of the heart.
• Deficit of K+ causes the heart to beat feebly and
abnormal heart rhythms.
4. Age
Resting heart rate is fastest in the fetus (140-160
beats/min) and gradually decreases throughout life.
5. Gender
Females (72-80 beats/min) has faster heart rate that
males (64-72 beats/min).
6. Temperature
Heat increases heart rate by increasing the metabolic
rate of heart cells whereas cold decreases heart rate by
decreasing the metabolic rate of heart cells.
7. Exercise
Exercise increase heart rate through the sympathetic
division of the autonomic nervous system.
 THE BLOOD VESSELS

 The cardiovascular system has three types of blood vessels:

 arteries (and arterioles): carry blood away from the heart to
the capillaries
 Capillaries: permit exchange of material with the tissues
 Veins (and venules): return blood from the capillaries to the
heart.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

BLOOD VESSELS
 THE ARTERIES
 Arteries and arterioles take blood away from the heart.
 The middle layer of an artery wall consists of smooth muscle
that can constrict to regulate blood flow and blood pressure.
 The largest artery is the aorta.
 Arterioles can constrict or dilate,
changing blood pressure.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 THE CAPILLARIES
 Capillaries have walls only one cell thick to allow
exchange of gases and nutrients with tissue fluid.
 Capillary beds are present in all regions of the body but
not all capillary beds are open at the same time.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 THE VEINS
 Venules drain blood from capillaries, then join to
form veins that take blood to the heart.
 Veins have much less smooth muscle and
connective tissue than arteries.
 Veins often have valves that prevent the
backward flow of blood when closed.
 Veins carry about 70% of the body’s blood and
act as a reservoir during hemorrhage.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 BLOOD FLOW, BLOOD
PRESSURE, RESISTANCE

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 Blood Pressure
a) Systolic pressure
• Systole: contraction of the ventricle
• During systole, heart muscles contract and the
chambers pump blood.
• Systolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries during
ventricular systole.

b) Diastolic pressure
• Diastole: relaxation, widening of heart chamber;
chamber fill with blood
• During diastole, the heart muscle relaxes and the
chambers fill with blood.
• Diastolic pressure is the pressure in the arteries during
diastole and is lower than systolic pressure.
 BLOOD FLOW IN ARTERIES

 Blood pressure is the pressure of blood against the wall of a blood

vessel.
 Normal resting blood pressure (young adult) : 120 mm mercury
(Hg) over 80 mm Hg, or simply 120/80.
 The highest arterial pressure, called the systolic pressure, is
reached during ejection of blood from the heart.
 The lowest arterial pressure is called the diastolic pressure.
 Diastolic pressure occurs while the heart ventricles are relaxing.

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

Sphygmomanometer :
used to measure blood pressure usually in the brachial artery of the arm
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
 BLOOD FLOW IN VEINS

 Blood pressure is minimal in venules and

veins (20–0 mmHg).
 Instead of blood pressure, venous return is
dependent upon three factors:
i. skeletal muscle contraction
ii. the presence of valves in veins
iii. respiratory movements.
 When the skeletal muscles contract, they
compress the weak walls of the veins.
 This causes blood to move past the next valve.
 Once past the valve, blood cannot flow
backward
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
 BLOOD PRESSURE AND VELOCITY

 When the left ventricle contracts, blood is

sent out into the aorta under pressure.
 A progressive decrease in pressure occurs
as blood moves through the arteries,
arterioles, capillaries, and finally the veins.
 Blood pressure is highest in the aorta and
lowest in the vena cava which enter the
right atrium.
 The decrease in blood pressure causes the
blood velocity to gradually decrease as it
flows toward the capillaries
BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM
CROSS-SECTIONAL AREA AS IT RELATES TO
BLOOD PRESSURE AND VELOCITY

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

 PULSE

 The surge of blood entering the arteries causes their elastic walls
to stretch, but then they almost immediately recoil.
 This alternating expansion and recoil of an arterial wall can be felt
as a pulse in any artery that runs close to the body’s surface.
 The pulse rate indicates the rate of the heartbeat because the
arterial walls pulse whenever the left ventricle contracts.
 The pulse is usually 70 times per minute but can vary between 60
to 80 times per minute

BIO310 / Cardiovascular / NHM

PULSE POINT
Measurement of
blood pressure

1. A
sphygmomanometer, an
inflatable cuff attached
to a pressure gauge, 2. A stethoscope is used to listen for sounds of blood
measures blood flow below the cuff. If the artery is closed, there is no
pressure in an artery. pulse below the cuff. The cuff is gradually deflated until
The cuff is wrapped blood begins to flow into the forearm, and sounds from
around the upper arm blood pulsing into the artery below the cuff can be heard
and inflated until the with the stethoscope. This occurs when the blood
pressure closes the pressure is greater than the pressure exerted by the cuff.
artery, so that no blood The pressure at this point is the systolic pressure.
flows past the cuff. 3. The cuff is loosened further until the blood flows freely
When this occurs, the through the artery and the sounds below the cuff
pressure exerted by the disappear. The pressure at this point is the diastolic
cuff exceeds the pressure remaining in the artery when the heart is
pressure in the artery. relaxed
 Factors affecting Blood Pressure

1. Peripheral resistance
• Amount of friction encountered by the blood as it flows through the blood
vessels]
• Vasoconstriction, blood volume & blood viscosity will increase peripheral
resistance, thus increasing blood pressure.
2. Neural factor
• Parasympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system has little or no effect.
• Sympathetic division of the autonomic nervous system will increase the blood
pressure through vasoconstriction.
3. Renal factor
• When blood pressure increases beyond normal, the kidney allows more water to
leave the body in the urine.
• When blood pressure decreases, the kidney will retain body water, thus
increasing the blood pressure.
4. Temperature
• Cold temperature increases blood pressure through vasoconstriction.
• Warm temperature decreases blood pressure through vasodilation.
5. Chemicals
• Nicotine increases blood pressure by causing vasoconstriction.
• Alcohol and histamine decreases blood pressure by causing
vasodilation.
• Epinephrine increase blood pressure.
6. Diets
• Diet low in salt, low in saturated fats and low in cholesterol help to
prevent high blood pressure.
 RESISTANCE

 Opposition to flow and is a measure of the amount of friction

blood encounters as it passes through the vessels.
 Referred to as peripheral resistance (PR).
 Three important source of resistance:
 Blood viscosity - related to thickness of a fluid. The greater the
viscosity, the less easily molecules slide past one another, the
more difficult it is to keep the fluid moving.
 Total blood vessel length – the longer the vessel, the greater
the resistance.
 Blood vessel diameter – the smaller the tube, the greater the
friction. Fatty plaques from atherosclerosis cause turbulent
blood flow and increase resistance due to turbulence
THE END