Cardiovascular system

Anatomy & Physiology 

Quick Reviews 

➖Cardiovascular system

❑ A client’s electrocardiogram showing ST elevation in leads V2 , V3 , and V4 suggests an anterior-wall myocardial infarction.

❑ The left anterior descending artery is the primary source of blood for the anterior wall of the heart.

❑ The circumfl ex artery supplies the lateral wall of the heart.

❑ The internal mammary artery supplies the breast.

❑ The coronary arteries may receive a minute portion of blood during systole.

❑ Most of the blood flow to the coronary arteries is supplied during diastole.

❑ Breathing patterns are irrelevant to blood flow.

❑ Coronary artery disease accounts for 30% of all deaths in the United states.

❑ Atherosclerosis, or plaque formation, is the leading cause of coronary artery disease.

❑ A myocardial infarction is commonly a result of coronary artery disease.

❑ In atherosclerosis, hardened blood vessels can’t dilate properly; therefore,they constrict blood flow and block oxygen transport. As a result, oxygen can’t reach the heart muscle, resulting in angina.

❑ Diabetes mellitus is a risk factor for coronary artery disease that can be controlled with diet, exercise, and medication.

❑ Cholesterol levels above 240 mg/dL are considered excessive and are a risk factor for developing coronary artery disease.

❑ Total cholesterol levels below 240 mg/dL are considered below the nationally accepted levels and carry a lesser risk of coronary artery disease.

❑ A lipid panel tests the amount of total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, high-density lipoprotein cholesterol, and triglycerides.

❑ Sublingual nitroglycerin is administered to treat acute angina.

❑ Coronary artery bypass surgery and percutaneous transluminal coronary angioplasty are invasive, surgical treatments for coronary artery disease.

❑ An electrocardiogram showing ST elevation in leads II, III, and aVF suggests occlusion of the right coronary artery.

❑ The right coronary artery supplies the right ventricle, or the inferior portion of the heart.

❑ Occlusion of the right coronary artery could produce an infarction in that area.

❑ The most common symptom of a myocardial infarction is chest pain, resulting from deprivation of oxygen to the heart.

❑ The correct landmark for obtaining an apical pulse is the left fifth intercostal space in the midclavicular line.

❑ The apex of the heart is the point of maximal impulse where heart sounds are heard loudest.

❑ Rescuers of adult victims should begin compressions rather than opening the airway and delivering breaths.

❑ The sequence for cardiopulmonary resuscitation is CAB (compressions, airway, breathing) rather than ABC (airway, breathing, compressions).

❑ Chest compression depth on an adult should be at least 2 inches (5 cm).

❑ All rescuers, trained or not, should deliver high-quality chest compressions by pushing hard to a depth of at least 2 inches (5 cm), at a rate of at least 100 compressions per minute, allowing full chest recoil after each compression, and minimizing interruptions in chest compressions.

❑ Trained rescuers should also provide cardiopulmonary resuscitation with a compression to ventilation ratio of 30:2.

❑ The outermost layer of the heart is called the epicardium.

❑ The epicardium is made up of squamous epithelial cells overlying connective tissue.

❑ The myocardium is the middle layer of the heart and forms most of the heart wall.

❑ The myocardium has striated muscle fi bers that cause the heart to contract.

❑ The heart’s inner layer is called the endocardium.

❑ The endocardium consists of endothelial tissue with blood vessels and bundles of smooth muscle.

❑ The serous pericardium has two layers: the parietal and the visceral layer.

❑ The pericardium surrounds the heart and the roots of the great vessels.

❑ The pericardium has two layers: the fi brous and serous pericardium.

❑ Pulmonic sounds can be auscultated at the left second intercostal space in the midclavicular line.

❑ Abnormalities of the pulmonic valve are auscultated at the left second intercostal space along the left sternal border.

❑ Aortic valve abnormalities are heard at the second intercostal space to the right of the sternum.