Cardiovascular Essentials for Medical Assistants-Slides: Cardiac Anatomy and Physiology

Slides: Cardiac Anatomy and Physiology

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This document provides an overview of cardiac anatomy and physiology. The heart has four chambers: two atria (right and left) and two ventricles (right and left). It also has a septum and four valves (tricuspid, pulmonic, mitral, and aortic). Blood flows from the right side to the left side of the heart in two circuits - before and after the lungs. Ischemic heart disease, also known as "the plumbing," occurs when there is a lack of blood flow and oxygen to the heart muscle due to narrowing or blockages in the heart arteries. This can lead to a myocardial infarction or heart attack. Ischemic heart disease can occur through chronic narrowing or acute blockage. Myocardial infarctions are described based on their location, such as anterior, lateral, inferior, or posterior. Heart failure, also known as "the pump," occurs when there is a dysfunction in the heart. There are two types of heart failure - systolic and diastolic. The ejection fraction refers to the percentage of blood that remains in the left ventricle at the end of systole. Valve abnormalities can occur as stenosis, where the valve fails to open properly, or regurgitation/insufficiency, where the valve fails to close properly. In the electrical system of the heart, conduction pathways stimulate contraction. The SA-node, AV-node, Bundle of His, and Purkinje fibers play a role in electrical stimulation. Myocardial cells have key properties such as the ability to produce electrical activity, respond to an electrical stimulus, and transmit the stimulus throughout the myocardium. They also have automatic excitability and contractility.

Keywords

cardiac anatomy

physiology

heart chambers

atria

ventricles

heart valves

ischemic heart disease

myocardial infarction

heart failure

ejection fraction