NSG 6020 Week 4 Lectures

The Cardiovascular System Let's start with some interesting facts about the heart. Did you know that your blood vessel system, comprised of arteries, veins, and capillaries, is over 60,000 miles long? The adult heart pumps approximately five liters of blood each minute, whereas the infant's heart pumps approximately 0.5 to 1.5 liters per minute. The average heart beats approximately 100,000 times per day. By the age of 70, the average heart will have beat more than 2.5 billion times! There is a difference between the sexes: an adult female heart weighs about eight ounces whereas the average male adult heart weighs about ten ounces. The adult heart size can be estimated by putting two clenched fists together; the child's heart is approximately one clenched fist. It takes blood approximately 20 seconds to make one full circuit of the vascular system. Blood is approximately 78 percent water. A French anatomy professor, Raymond de Viessens, first described the structure of the heart in 1706. The electrocardiograph was invented in 1902 by Willem Einthoven, a Dutch physiologist. The aftermath of World War I saw the first heart specialists. The heart and blood vessels constitute the cardiovascular system. The heart is the pump (a large muscle) that pushes blood into the systemic and pulmonary circulation. The systemic and pulmonary circulations are continuous loops that carry the blood through the body. Review the anatomy and physiology covered in your textbook. View the following videos: Anatomy Review—Vascular Structures of the Neck Click here to view a transcript for the video. [Video can be viewed here within the course] Estimating Jugular Venous Pressure Click here to view a transcript for the video. [Video can be viewed here within the course] Assessing the Carotid Pulse Click here to view a transcript for the video. [Video can be viewed here within the course]