| arteries | large vessels that carry arterialized blood away from the heart.
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| arterioles | a small branch of an artery that communicates with a capillary network.
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| atrioventricular node (AV node) | a specialized mass of muscle tissue located in the interventricular septum of the heart; functions in the transmission of cardiac impulses from the atria to the ventricles.
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| autoregulation | mechanism by which an organ regulates blood flow to match the metabolic rate.
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| capillaries | microscopic blood vessels that connect arterioles and venules. Portion of vascular system where blood/tissue gas exchange occurs.
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| cardiac accelerator nerves | part of the sympathetic nervous system that stimulates the SA node to increase heart rate.
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| cardiac output | the amount of blood pumped by the heart per unit of time; equal to product of heart rate and stroke volume.
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| cardiovascular control center | the area of the medulla that regulates the cardiovascular system.
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| central command | the control of the cardiovascular or pulmonary system by cortical impulses.
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| diastole | period of filling of the heart between contractions (i.e., resting phase of the heart).
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| diastolic blood pressure | arterial blood pressure during diastole.
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| double product | the product of heart rate and systolic blood pressure; estimate of work of the heart.
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| electrocardiogram (ECG) | a recording of the electrical changes that occur in the myocardium during the cardiac cycle.
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| intercalated discs | portion of cardiac muscle cell where one cell connects to the next.
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| mixed venous blood | a mixture of venous blood from both the upper and lower extremities; complete mixing occurs in the right ventricle.
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| myocardium | cardiac muscle; provides the force of contraction to eject blood; muscle type with many mitochondria that is dependent on a constant supply of oxygen.
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| pulmonary circuit | the portion of the cardiovascular system involved in the circulation of blood from the right ventricle to the lungs and back to the left atrium.
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| sinoatrial node (SA node) | specialized tissue located in the right atrium of the heart, that generates the electrical impulse to initiate the heartbeat. In a normal, healthy heart, the SA node is the heart's pacemaker.
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| stroke volume | the amount of blood pumped by the ventricles in a single beat.
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| systole | portion of the cardiac cycle in which the ventricles are contracting.
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| systolic blood pressure | the highest arterial pressure measured during a cardiac cycle.
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| vagus nerve | a major parasympathetic nerve.
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| veins | the blood vessels that accept blood from the venules and bring it back to the heart.
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| venules | small blood vessels carrying capillary blood to veins.
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