5.

2 The cardiac
cycle

Learning outcomes
Students should understand the following:
Myogenic stimulation of the heart and transmission
of a subsequent wave of electrical activity.
Roles of the sinoatrial node (SAN), atrioventricular
node (AVN) and bundle of His.
Cardiac output as the product of heart rate and
stroke volume.
Pressure and volume changes and associated valve
movements during the cardiac cycle.
Candidates should be able to analyse and interpret
data relating to pressure and volume changes
during the cardiac cycle.

The heart
Heart muscle does not need to be

stimulated by a nerve before it will contract.

The heart beat originates in the muscle
itself and, for this reason, it is described as
being myogenic.
There are 2 phases to the beating of the heart:
Contraction (systole)
Relaxation (diastole)

The Cardiac Cycle

Cardiac cycle = sequence of events that

makes up one heart beat

Continuous but can be divided into 3 stages:
Atrial systole
Ventricular systole
Ventricular diastole

1. Atrial Systole
Heart is full of
blood
Contraction of
both atria
AV valves open
blood flows
ventricles
No backflow as
veins have valves

2. Ventricular Systole
Atria relax
Ventricles contract (0.1s
after atria)
Increase in pressure in
ventricle
AV valves close
Semi-lunar valves
open
blood flows from
ventricles arteries
Lasts ~0.3 s

3. Ventricular Diastole
Ventricles relax
Blood flows from veins
(at low pressure)
atria
Some blood flows
through atria
ventricles

Atrial Systole
The walls of the atria
contract. This reduces the
volume of the atria,
increasing the pressure.
More blood is forced through
the atrio-ventricular valves
into the ventricles.

Ventricular Diastole

Ventricular Systole

The ventricle walls relax and

the pressure in the ventricles
falls. Blood starts to flow
from the atria into the
ventricles again.

The walls of the ventricles

now contract, reducing the
volume in the ventricles. The
pressure increases and blood
is forced into the arteries.

Cardiac cycle
Cardiac cycle - narrated.swf

Control of Heartbeat
Cardiac muscle is

myogenic
naturally contracts
& doesnt need to
receive impulses
Need to coordinate
contractions with
pacemaker = sinoatrial node (SAN)

Control of heartbeat
Cardiac cycle - SAN & AVN.swf

The Sino-atrial Node

Patch of specialised
muscle in wall of
right atrium
Sets rhythm for rest
of heart
The SAN has its own
rhythm, but this may
be modified by nerve
impulses from the
brain.

The Sino-atrial Node

Contraction of SAN
sends excitation
wave (wave of
depolarisation)
through atrial walls
Cardiac muscle in
atrial walls contracts
at same rhythm
Atria contact
simultaneously

The Atrio-ventricular Node

Ventricles dont contract
until atria have finished
contracting.
Delay due to band of fibres
between atria & ventricles
that does not conduct
excitation wave
Wave can only pass
through patch of
conducting fibres at top of
septum = atrio-ventricular
node (AVN).

Purkyne Fibres
AVN picks up excitation wave and
the signal now passes rapidly
down the specialised conducting
fibres (Purkyne fibres) which form
the bundle of His in the wall or
septum separating the two
ventricles.
wave spreads from base outwards
& upwards
ventricles contract from bottom up
squeezes blood upwards into
arteries

Ventricular
diastole

Atrial systole

Ventricular
systole

Control of heartbeat
Cardiac cycle - SAN & AVN.swf