SPHE 314 Week 5 Cardiovascular
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American Military University *
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Feb 20, 2024
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Week 5: Cardiovascular Professor Caitlin Brown American Public University SPHE314: Exercise Physiology Section 1. The cardiac conduction system is a group of specialized cardiac muscle cells that send signals to the heart muscle, causing it to contract. The main components of this system are the SA node, AV node, bundle of His, bundle branches, and Purkinje fibers. Doctors use an electrocardiogram (EKG) to monitor the heart's electrical activity generated by the signal passing through the system.
Section 2.
The journey of blood flow starts with the arteries and then passes through the
capillaries and veins, finally reaching the superior vena cava. From there, it goes down into the right atrium, through the tricuspid valve, into the right ventricle, and exits through the pulmonary arteries. After receiving oxygen, the blood returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins enters the left atrium, passes through the mitral valve, enters the left ventricle, and exits through the aorta to circulate throughout the body.
Section 3.
As blood returns from the body, it is devoid of oxygen due to its utilization of oxygen for other bodily systems. The heart receives this deoxygenated blood through the right atrium. The electrical impulses that trigger the heart to contract initiate at the sinoatrial node in the right atrium. These impulses split into four tracts and spread through both the atriums. Depolarization wave, an electrical event, contracts the heart. As a result, during contraction, the atrial myocytes push the remaining blood through the tricuspid valve and into the ventricle. The electrical signals travel towards the atrioventricular node. Once leaving the atrioventricular node, the electrical impulses travel to the His bundle, to the right bundle branches, and eventually to the Purkinje fibers, which end in the ventricular myocardium. As a result of the ventricular contraction, the ventricular pressure increases, closing the atrioventricular valve and pushing blood from the ventricle to the pulmonary arteries. Subsequently, after the contraction, the ventricles' pressure decreases, relaxing the heart and opening the atrioventricular valve to let blood flow back into the ventricle from the atria. Once the sinoatrial node sends another electrical impulse, the cycle commences again. Finally, after leaving the pulmonary arteries, the deoxygenated blood proceeds to the lungs for oxygenation.
The blood circulation process involves the movement of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood through a complex network of interconnected pathways within the body. The heart plays a vital role by pumping blood through the circulatory system (Yorhealthtoday, 2023). The sinoatrial node acts as the pacemaker, expertly regulating the heartbeat to maintain it between fifty to one hundred beats per minute (Heartbeat, 2019). The sinoatrial node coordinates the other heart structures accurately, ensuring efficient and adequate blood flow to systemic and pulmonary circuits.
References Anatomy and function of the heart’s electrical system. Johns Hopkins Medicine. (2021, August 8). https://www.hopkinsmedicine.org/health/conditions-and-diseases/anatomy-and-function-of-
the-hearts-electrical-system
Understanding the heart and blood vessels. yourhealthtoday.net. (2023a, June 12). https://www.yourhealthtoday.net/understanding-the-heart-and-blood-vessels/#Conclusion
Cleveland Clinic. (2019, May 1). Heartbeat. Cleveland Clinic. Retrieved from https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17064-heart-beat
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