Cardiovascular System

Jacqueline R. Mozrall, Ph.D., CPE

0303-415: Ergonomics
Industrial & Manufacturing Engineering
Rochester Institute of Technology

Cardiovascular (CV) System

Cardio: heart
Vascular: blood vessels
Central circulation: blood flow through heart
Systemic circulation: blood flow through body
Pulmonary circulation: blood flow through lungs

Cardiovascular System
Responds linearly to increases in workload
Increases in work increases in heart rate

Control of CV system geared towards supplying

tissues metabolic demands
Blood performs following functions:
Carries O2 from lungs to cells
Carries nutrients from digestive tract to cells
Carries metabolic byproducts (i.e., CO2, heat, and water)
from cells to heart/lungs and/or skin

Anatomy of the Heart

Right Atrium: receives blood returning from veins
Right Ventricle: pumps blood into lungs
Left Atrium: receives blood from lungs
Left Ventricle: pumps blood out to body

Atria
Act as holding reservoir if valves closed (during systole)
Contract right before systole to add remaining 30%
blood to ventricles

Cardiac Cycle
Diastole
Heart rests, atria fill with blood returning from lungs and venous blood
from body

Systole

Contraction of atria to push blood into ventricles

Pressure rises in ventricles, a-v valves close
Ventricular ejection begins
Pressures fall, valves close, onset of diastole

SA and AV nodes
Start heartbeat / regulate pace
Depolarization of nodes generate action potentials (EKG)

Cardiac Cycle

Stroke volume (SV): blood volume ejected (liters)

Contraction frequency (HR): heart rate (b/min)
Cardiac Output (Q) = SV x HR (l/min)
At rest
~ 0.5 SV from ventricle

During work
Both SV and HR increased initially
SV reaches maximum
HR continues to increase linearly with VO 2

Oxygen Consumption (VO2)

VO2: dependent upon intake, transport, use of O 2
VO2max
Best measure of CV function
Q x (a-v)O2 (i.e., cardiac output x differential in O 2 content in arterial
and venous blood)

Larger muscles can extract more O2

VO2max (arms) = 70%VO2max (legs)
HR higher for arm work at given work rate/VO 2

Physiological limitation:
Transport of blood, do not have enough blood volume for physiological
demands, heart itself is not limiting

CV Pathways
Arteries: Transport blood under high pressure
Arterioles
Vasoconstrict / vasodilate to control blood flow
Muscles over digestion, skin over muscles

Capillaries
Exchange of gases, nutrients, metabolic byproducts between blood and
tissues

Venules: Collect blood from capillaries

Veins
Main conduits back to heart, smooth muscle pump facilitates blood
return to heart

Static / Dynamic Work

Static work: muscle contracts (> 15% MVC) and restricts
blood flow to, and waste products away from, muscle.
Results in venous pooling, pain, and increased HR
Dynamic work: frequent changes in muscle tension allows
flow to and from muscle. Massaging effect of contracting
muscles on capillaries and veins enhances venous return to
heart (i.e., muscle pump).

CV Function
PRELOAD: how much blood gets back to heart
(i.e., static work, body position)
PUMP

AFTERLOAD: total peripheral resistance

(i.e., temperature, straining work)
Long-term, low intensity work: increased preload, dynamic,
decreased afterload, heart enlarges

Fitness Level

HRmax: unaffected by fitness

Resting HR good indicator of fitness level
SV affected by fitness level
Train CV system
To increase Q and SV, must train large enough muscle
mass (> 50%) to max system
Training specific muscles, increases strength in specific
muscles, but not heart

Gender / Age Effect

Females
10% lower lung volumes, Hb content
Higher Q to transport same amount of O2

Physical capability declines with age, primarily

due to physical condition
Light to moderate work: not age dependent
Hard work: max at 20-25 years