BIOL1008 Lecture 16: Lecture 16
9 Jun 2018
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Lecture 16: The cardiovascular system
What does your pulse tell you?
- Often used as a sign of life
- Our heart cycles between contraction and relaxation in a rhythmic fashion
Mediated by the rate of generation of action potentials in the sinoatrial node
- Our pulse indicates how often our heart is beating
Average ~ 60-100bpm, but it is highly variable
- When the heart pumps, blood is ejected into the blood vessels
- Creates a driving blood pressure
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2
Driving blood pressure
BP in cardiovascular system
- Pressure is defined as a force that is exerted against a container
Blood against the blood vessels and resistance to flow
- Why is blood pressure important?
Blood must be able to flow from the heart all the way around the body and back
to the heart again
How does it achieve this?
Blood flow around the body
- Blood flows from an area of high to low pressure
- Arterial system is under high pressure, venous system is under low pressure
Blood pressure
BP is often recorded as:
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Document Summary
Often used as a sign of life. Our heart cycles between contraction and relaxation in a rhythmic fashion. Mediated by the rate of generation of action potentials in the sinoatrial node. Our pulse indicates how often our heart is beating. Average ~ 60-100bpm, but it is highly variable. When the heart pumps, blood is ejected into the blood vessels. Pressure is defined as a force that is exerted against a container. Blood against the blood vessels and resistance to flow. Blood must be able to flow from the heart all the way around the body and back to the heart again. Blood flows from an area of high to low pressure. Arterial system is under high pressure, venous system is under low pressure. As the heart oscillates between contraction and relaxation, measurements are taken at these points: Systole is the pressure in the arteries when the heart is contracted.
