Before starting the unit click on exercise 1. It is strongly recommended to use multidict.
1. The circulatory system anatomy
1.1. The heart
Heart
- Pericardium: Fixes and protects the heart.
- Myocardia: It is the muscle tissue of the heart.
- Endocardium: The cover of the interior surface of the heart. Formed mainly by endothelial cells.
1.2. Arteries and veins
2. The cardiac cycle
The cardiac cycle
Fibrillating heart
3. Blood circulation
- Resting heart rate values
–Normal: 60 to 100 beats per minute
–Tachycardia>100 bpm
–Bradycardia 60< bpm
Now click on exercise 2 and measure your own heart rate.
4. Blood pressure
4.1. Blood pressure measurement
4.2. Blood preassure values
5. Vascular pathologies
5.1. Varicose veins
5.2. Atherosclerosis
Atheroma: Is a plaque formed mostly by fatty acids, cholesterol and white cells.
5.3. Coronary arteries diseases
Non Life-threatening diseases
- Coronary heart disease: the artery is partially blocked by the atheroma.
- Heart failure: the heart is not able to beat efficiently.
- Angina pectoris: a feeling of pain on the chest due to depravation of oxygen (ischemia).
Life-threatening diseases
- Infarction/heart attack (myocardial infarction): heart cells death because of a severe lack of oxygen. Usually caused by a blocked coronary artery.
- Cardiac arrest: the heart spots beating.
5.4. Thrombosis
- Thrombosis: A blood clot that blocks the blood flow through a blood vessel.
- Embolus: a blood clot that travels trough the circulatory system.
- Can happen on veins and arteries.
- Most well known arterial thrombosis are:
- Myocardial infarction (heart)
- Stroke (brain)