Cardiac Output

What is the heart?
Define cardiac output.

Describe blood flow in the heart.

Outline the components of the conduction system of the heart.

Outline the sequence of cardiac excitation.

What causes the sino-atrial node to trigger an action potential?

Outline the mechanism underlying spontaeous action potential generation in pacemaker cells.

Explain the mechanism of contraction of the ventricular cardiomyocytes.

How does calcium produce contraction of cardiac muscles?

What is the refractory period? Explain its purpose.

Outline the role of the Autonomic nervous system in regulation of the sino-atrial node.

Outline regulation of heart beat by para/sympathetic nervous system.

Describe parasympathetic regulation of the depolarisation of the sino-atrial node?

Describe sympathetic regulation of the depolarisation of the sino-atrial node?

What is an electrocardiogram?

Label general electrocardiogram.

Outline electrical events of the cardiac cycle.

Explain how the ECG is used to diagnose disease.

What is ventricular fibrillation?

Describe structure of the heart.

What are the two phases of the cardiac cycle?

Explain pressure changes in different blood vessels.

Explain contractions in one heart beat.

Describe the pressure and volume changes that occur during the cardiac cycle.

Explain the heart sounds as heard by a stethoscope.

Outline the factors that influence the end diastolic ventricular volume.

What is the frank starling mechanism?

Explain how the frank-starling mechanism maintains balance between the left and right sides of the heart.

Define stroke volume.

Describe regulation of stroke volume.

Give an overview of regulation of cardiac output.

What is congestive heart failure?

Explain what happens during heart failure - systolic dysfunction.

Explain what happens during heart failure - diastolic dysfunction.