Cardiovascular Control

During Exercise
 Cardiovascular
Functions

■ Delivery
• Oxygen and nutrients
■ Removal
• CO2 and metabolic wastes
■ Transport
• hormones
■ Maintenance
• Body temperature
• Fluid leves and pH
■ Prevention
• infection
 The Heart
■ Blood flow through the heart
(fig 8.1)

■ The myocardium
• interconnected cardiac muscle
• hypertrophy of left ventrical
■ The cardiac conduction
system (fig 8.3)
• Autoconduction: the ability to generate its
own electrical signal rythmically without
neural stimuation.
• SA node: (pacemaker) sends the electrical
impulse to the atria and reaches the AV
node.
• AV node: conducts the impulse from the
atria into the ventricals through the ....
• AV bundle and Perkinji fibers where it
travels along the septum and to the
ventrical walls starting at the Apex.
 The Heart
■ Extrinsic control of heart
activity
• the parasympathetic nervous system
– decreases H.R. & force of heart
contraction
• the sympathetic nervous system
– increases H.R. & force of heart
contraction
• the endocrine system: release
norepinephrine and epinephrine to
increase H.R.
■ The ECG (fig 8.4)
• records the electrical activity of the heart
– the P wave: atrial depolarization

– the QRS complex: ventricular

depolarization
– the T wave: ventricular repolarization
The ECG
Cardiac Arrhythmias
■ Bradycardia: “slow heart”
• Resting H.R. < 60
■ Tachycardia: “fast heart”
• Resting H.R. > 100
• Symptoms include
– Fatigue
– Dizziness
– Lightheadedness
– Fainting
■ Premature ventricular
contraction: “skipped beat”
■ Ventricular Fibrillation:
“uncoordinated beat”
 The Heart
■ The Cardiac Cycle: includes all
of the events between two consecutive
cycles
• Diastole: relaxation phase
• Systole: contraction phase
■ Stroke Volume (SV): the
amount of blood ejected from the
left ventrical (fig 8.5).
• SV = EDV - ESV
• end diastolic volume (EDV)
• end systolic volume (ESV)
• ejection fraction (EF) =
(SV / EDV) X 100%
• cardiac output (Q) = HR X SV
 The Vascular System
■ Method: Aorta --> Arteries -->
Arterioles --> Capillaries -->Venuoles --
> Veins --> Vena Cava
■ Coronary arteries
■ Return of blood to the heart
• breathing increases thoracic
pressure
• muscles create a pumping action
• valves prevent backflow
The Vascular System

■ Distribution of blood (fig 8.6)

• autoregulation: the vessels ability to
detect the local chemical changes and
regulate its own blood flow to meet the
needs of the tissues.
• extrensic neural control: regulated
largely by the sympathetic nervous system
by constricting blood vessels of lesser
need.
• redistribution of venous blood:
creating more available blood to meet the
needs of the body.
■ During Exercise: blood is
redirected to the areas where it is
needed most
• Muscles receive up to 80%
The Vascular System

■ Redistribution of Venous
Blood
• 64% of blood pools in the veins
waiting for the need.
■ Blood pressure
• systolic / diastolic
– Measured sitting and supine/prone
• control: weight loss, diet, exercise,
med’s
• Hypertension: 140 / 100
• Hypotension: 100 / 60
 The Blood
■ Functions
• Transportation of nutrients,
hormones, etc.
• Temperature regulation
• Maintain (pH) balance
■ Blood volume and composition
• Men 5 - 6 L, Women 4 - 5 L
• composition (fig 8.8)
– 55% plasma
• 90% water
– 45% hematocrit
• red blood cells: transport
oxygen primarily bound to their
hemoglobin (iron).
• White blood cells
• platelets
 The Blood

■ Blood viscosity: refers to the

thickness of the blood.
• increased viscosity restricts blood
flow but increases oxygen carrying
capacity.
• decreased viscosity increases blood
flow but decreases oxygen carrying
capacity.
 Cardiovascular
Response to Exercise
■ Increased stroke volume
(fig 8.11)
• only up to 40%-60% of maximal capacity &
then plateaus (caused by reduced filling
time at higher h.r. ?)
• increased volume of venous blood return
– increased muscle pumping of venous
blood
– increased breathing (thoracic pressure)
– supine positions
• increased ventrical enlargement capacity
– Frank-Starling law: when the ventricle
stretches more, it will contract with
more force.
• increased ventrical contractility
• aortic or pulmonary artery pressure
 Cardiovascular
Response to Exercise

■ Increased heart rate / cardiac

output (fig 8.10)
■ Anticipatory response
(increased heart rate before exercise)
• Caused by the release of epinephrine
■ Steady state heart rate: during
steady exercise
■ Maximum heart rate = 220 - age
 Cardiovascular
Response to Exercise
■ Redistribution of blood to the working
muscles by reducing blood flow to the
kidneys, stomach, liver and intestines.
■ Redistribution of blood to the skin in
order to maintain body temperature.
■ Increased metabolic rate of working
muscles
■ Autoregulation is triggered by low
muscle Po2
■ Cardiovascular drift: increased H.R.
compensates for a decreased S.V.
from a decreased total blood volume
to maintain Q.
• redistribution
• decreased blood plasma
 Cardiovascular
Response to Exercise
■ Systolic B.P. increases with
intensity
• valsalva during resistance
exercise
• increased use of upper body
musculature
■ Diastolic B. P. does not change
 Cardiovascular
Responses to Exercise
■ Increased A-V O2 difference:
representing the amount of O2
extracted from the blood to be used by
the muscles.
■ Decreased plasma volume =decreased
performance increased blood
pressure forces water from the
vascular system to the interstitial
spaces.
• increased intramuscular osmotic
pressure attracts fluid to the
muscles.
• sweating
■ Increased blood viscosity
• decreasing O2 transport
■ Decreased blood pH level