Upper chambers of the heart
Atria
Blood vessels that supply blood to the myocardium
Coronary arteries
Electrical impulses slow here to allow blood to move from the atria to the ventricles
Atrioventricular node
Heart muscle
Myocardium
Electrical impulses begin here
Sinus node
Carry oxygen-poor blood back to the heart
Venae cavae
Lower chambers of the heart
Ventricles
The body’s main artery
Aorta
Calcium and cholesterol buildup inside blood vessels
Atherosclerosis
An abnormal heart rhythm
Dysrhythmia
Decreased blood flow and poor oxygenation
Ischemia
The death of tissue
Infarction
A rapid heart rhythm, greater than 100 beats/min
Tachycardia
An absence of heart electrical activity
Asystole
An unusually slow heart rhythm, less than 60 beats/min
Bradycardia
A blood clot floating through blood vessels until it reaches a narrow area and blocks blood flow
Thromboembolism
The complete blockage of a coronary artery
Acute myocardial infarction
A lack of cardiac pumping activity
Cardiac arrest
Exertional chest pain, relieved by nitroglycerin
Angina pectoris
The heart lacks power to effectively pump blood to the body, resulting in low blood pressure
Cardiogenic shock
A condition where the heart cannot effectively pump blood, leading to fluid backing up into the lungs and edema
Congestive heart failure
Systolic blood pressure greater than 180 mm Hg
Hypertensive emergency
The sudden tearing and separation of the inner layers of the aorta, with the potential for great blood loss
Dissecting aneurysm
________ allows a cardiac muscle cell to contract spontaneously without a stimulus from a nerve source.
A. Repetition
B. Reactivity
C. Automaticity
D. Autonomy
C. Automaticity