Anaesthesia Fundamentals | Physiology | The Cardiac Cycle

The Cardiac Cycle
Session Overview
Description
This session describes the cardiac events that occur from the beginning of one heart beat to the beginning of the next. The relationship between the electrical and mechanical events is a fundamental part of cardiovascular physiology and explains how cardiovascular function is regulated.

Learning Objectives
By the end of this session you will be able to:

• Define the cardiac cycle, systole and diastole
• Explain how blood flows through the heart
• List the seven phases of the cardiac cycle
• Describe the changes in the cardiac cycle with respect to the left ventricular pressure, aortic pressure and ventricular volume
• Identify when the heart sounds occur in the cardiac cycle
• Identify the parts of a ventricular pressure-volume loop

Prerequisites
Before commencing this session you should complete:

• Anatomy of the Heart (001-0567)