NSG 530 EXAM 1 ADVANCED
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY 2026 COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM
◉ cardiac output. Answer: amount of blood in L moved by the heart
in 1 minute
-normal - 4-8 L/min
-decrease indicates heart failure
-increase indicates decreased systemic vascular resistance, common
ins sepsis
-depends on heart rate and stroke volume
◉ ejection fraction. Answer: the fraction of blood ejected by the
ventricle or stroke volume relative to the end diastolic volume (what
has been pumped into the heart)
-percentage of ventricular preload ejected with each contraction
-normal EF more than 55% - means that 55% of the total blood in
the LV is pumped out with each heart beat
◉ what EF is associated with HF. Answer: HF with reduced EF
happens when the muscle of the LV is not pumping as well as normal
<40% - inability of the heart to generate an adequate CO to perfuse
vital tissues
,◉ calculate EF
SV 75 mL
EDV 120 mL. Answer: 75/120
EF=63%
◉ LVEDV. Answer: preload - increases with decreased contractility
or when there is an excess of plasma volume
-increases can actually improve CO up to a certain point, but as it
continues to rise it causes a stretching of the myocardium that
eventually can lead to dysfunction of the sacromeres and decreased
contractility
◉ LVEDP. Answer: the pressure within the left ventricle following
the completion of diastolic filling just prior to systole
◉ LVESV. Answer: residual volume of blood remaining in the
ventricle after ejection (normally about 50 mL
SV=EDV - ESV
◉ LVESP. Answer: pressure in the ventricle at the end of contraction
volume is low but pressure is high
,◉ compliance. Answer: used to describe how easily a chamber of the
heart or lumen of a blood vessel expands when it is filled with a
volume of blood (change in volume/change in pressure)
◉ preload. Answer: volume inside the ventricle at the end of diastole
(ventricular end diastolic volume and pressure
-determined by
1)the amount of venous blood returning to the ventricle during
diastole
2) the amount of blood left in the ventricle after systole
◉ increased VEDP. Answer: causes pressure to increase or back up
into the pulmonary or systemic venous circulation increasing
plasma flow through the vessel walls causing pulmonary edema
◉ afterload. Answer: resistance to ejection of blood from the
ventricle
-decreased afterload (low aortic pressure) - enables the heart to
contract more rapidly
-increased afterload (high aortic pressure) - slow contraction and
cause higher workloads against which the heart must function to
eject blood
-changes in afterload can be the result of aortic valvular disease
, ◉ hypertrophy. Answer: thickening of the musculature
causes the inability of the ventricle to relax as well, decrease in
ventricular chamber size and decrease in how much blood it can
receive
◉ contractility. Answer: the ability of cardiac muscle to generate
force for any given fiber length
primarily dependent on the way that the cell handles Ca2+
◉ end of diastole explained. Answer: -think balloon metaphor
-LV preload is measured as the LVEDP
-volume increases initially, little increase in pressure until a certain
point, then pressure increases with further increases in volume
-elevated LVEDP heart failure
-decreased LVEDP volume depletion such as dehydration or
hemorrhage
◉ end of systole explained. Answer: -muscles are maximally
activated
-heart is much stiffer - blood was just ejected out, low volume, heart
is contracted
-low volume high pressure situation
PATHOPHYSIOLOGY 2026 COMPREHENSIVE
EXAM
◉ cardiac output. Answer: amount of blood in L moved by the heart
in 1 minute
-normal - 4-8 L/min
-decrease indicates heart failure
-increase indicates decreased systemic vascular resistance, common
ins sepsis
-depends on heart rate and stroke volume
◉ ejection fraction. Answer: the fraction of blood ejected by the
ventricle or stroke volume relative to the end diastolic volume (what
has been pumped into the heart)
-percentage of ventricular preload ejected with each contraction
-normal EF more than 55% - means that 55% of the total blood in
the LV is pumped out with each heart beat
◉ what EF is associated with HF. Answer: HF with reduced EF
happens when the muscle of the LV is not pumping as well as normal
<40% - inability of the heart to generate an adequate CO to perfuse
vital tissues
,◉ calculate EF
SV 75 mL
EDV 120 mL. Answer: 75/120
EF=63%
◉ LVEDV. Answer: preload - increases with decreased contractility
or when there is an excess of plasma volume
-increases can actually improve CO up to a certain point, but as it
continues to rise it causes a stretching of the myocardium that
eventually can lead to dysfunction of the sacromeres and decreased
contractility
◉ LVEDP. Answer: the pressure within the left ventricle following
the completion of diastolic filling just prior to systole
◉ LVESV. Answer: residual volume of blood remaining in the
ventricle after ejection (normally about 50 mL
SV=EDV - ESV
◉ LVESP. Answer: pressure in the ventricle at the end of contraction
volume is low but pressure is high
,◉ compliance. Answer: used to describe how easily a chamber of the
heart or lumen of a blood vessel expands when it is filled with a
volume of blood (change in volume/change in pressure)
◉ preload. Answer: volume inside the ventricle at the end of diastole
(ventricular end diastolic volume and pressure
-determined by
1)the amount of venous blood returning to the ventricle during
diastole
2) the amount of blood left in the ventricle after systole
◉ increased VEDP. Answer: causes pressure to increase or back up
into the pulmonary or systemic venous circulation increasing
plasma flow through the vessel walls causing pulmonary edema
◉ afterload. Answer: resistance to ejection of blood from the
ventricle
-decreased afterload (low aortic pressure) - enables the heart to
contract more rapidly
-increased afterload (high aortic pressure) - slow contraction and
cause higher workloads against which the heart must function to
eject blood
-changes in afterload can be the result of aortic valvular disease
, ◉ hypertrophy. Answer: thickening of the musculature
causes the inability of the ventricle to relax as well, decrease in
ventricular chamber size and decrease in how much blood it can
receive
◉ contractility. Answer: the ability of cardiac muscle to generate
force for any given fiber length
primarily dependent on the way that the cell handles Ca2+
◉ end of diastole explained. Answer: -think balloon metaphor
-LV preload is measured as the LVEDP
-volume increases initially, little increase in pressure until a certain
point, then pressure increases with further increases in volume
-elevated LVEDP heart failure
-decreased LVEDP volume depletion such as dehydration or
hemorrhage
◉ end of systole explained. Answer: -muscles are maximally
activated
-heart is much stiffer - blood was just ejected out, low volume, heart
is contracted
-low volume high pressure situation
