Department of Human Physiology

Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences

Federal University Dutse Jigawa State

Week 1 lecture 1
• The heart physiologic anatomy ; events of the cardiac cycle.

Course: PHS 207/217 Cardiovascular System Physiology Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 1

The heart physiologic anatomy; events of the
cardiac cycle
• The Heart
• muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the circulatory system
• Location: mediastinum (In between the two lungs)
• Consist of for chamber (two atria and two ventricles each of which is
situated in both left and right side of the heart)
• Force of contraction is aided by the heart myocardium
• Right atrium is a thin walled and low pressure chamber which pacemaker
tissue called SA node (sinoatrial node)
• SA node produces cardiac impulses
• atrioventricular node that conducts the impulses from SA node to the
ventricles

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 2

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 3
The heart physiologic anatomy; events of the
cardiac cycle
• Right atrium receives venous (deoxygenated) blood via two large veins: Inferior
and superior vena cava
• Right atrium communicates with right ventricle through tricuspid valve
• From right ventricle blood are pump to the lungs via pulmonary artery
• Left atrium communicates with left ventricle through bicuspid valve
• Left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs through pulmonary veins
• Left ventricle (with very thick wall) pumps the arterial blood to different parts of
the body through systemic aorta
• Right and left atria are separated by fibrous septum called interatrial septum
• Right and left ventricle are separated by fibrous septum called interventricular
septum

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 4

• Layers of the heart wall
• Pericardium is the outer covering of the heart
made up of Outer parietal pericardium and
Inner visceral pericardium with pericardial
cavity or space which often contain thin film of
fluid
• Myocardium is the middle layer of the heart
made up of cardiac muscle which responsible
for pumping action of the heart
• Endocardium is the inner most layer of heart
wall. It is a thin, smooth and glistening
membrane formed by a single layer of
endothelial cells, lining the inner surface of the
heart. It continues as endothelium of the blood
vessels.

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 5

• Valves of the heart
• There are four different types valves in human heart
• The first two named as Atrioventricular valves are found in between
atria and the ventricles (tricuspid and bicuspid valves)
• The remaining two named as semilunar valves, placed at the opening
of blood vessels arising from ventricles, namely systemic aorta and
pulmonary artery (aortic valve and pulmonary valve respectively)

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 6

 Events of Cardiac cycle
• Sequence of coordinated events taking place in the heart during
each beat.
• Each heartbeat consists of two major periods called systole and
diastole
• The role of cardiac cycle events is to ensure efficient blood
pumping and circulation
• During systole, heart contracts and pumps the blood through
arteries
• During diastole, heart relaxes and blood is filled in the heart

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 7

 Events of Cardiac cycle
• These event include;
• Atrial systole(last rapid filling phase): Atria contract (causing intraatrial Pressure to
increases), pumping blood (10% of blood) into ventricles. It duration is 0.11 second. It
lead to fourth heart sound
• Ventricular systole: Ventricles contract, pumping blood into arteries
• Isovolumetric contraction: Ventricles contract without ejecting blood
• Ventricular ejection: Blood is pumped out of ventricles into arteries
• Isovolumetric relaxation: Ventricles relax without filling
• Atrial diastole and ventricular diastole: Atria and ventricles relax
and fill with blood immediately after their diastole
• The right atrium receives blood from SVC and IVC while the left atrium
receives blood from lungs through pulmonary veins. Duration for atrial
diastole is 0.7 sec while ventricular diastole is 0.53 secs
03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 8
03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 9
 Department of Human Physiology
Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences
Federal University Dutse Jigawa State

Week 1 lecture 2
• Cardiac electrophysiology. Control of cardiac contractility.

Course: PHS 207/217 Cardiovascular System Physiology Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 10

Cardiac electrophysiology
• Studies of the electrical properties and activities of the heart
• Action potentials
• Ion channels (sodium, potassium, calcium)
• Pacemaker cells (SA node)
• Conduction pathways (AV node, Bundle of His, Purkinje fibers)

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 11

• Action potentials in the cardiac muscle
• It occurs in four phases viz;
• Initial depolarization; occur rapidly (0.002sec) with amplitude of +20mV
• Initial repolarization; occurs immediately after depolarization (notch appears)
• A plateau or final depolarization; it last for 0.2sec in atrial muscle and 0.3sec
in ventricle muscle due to long period of action potential
• Final repolarization; a slow process (50 to 80 msec) before the re-
establishment of resting membrane potential.
• It has total duration of about 0.25 – 0.35sec

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 12

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 13
• Ion channels (sodium, potassium, calcium) activities in
electrophysiology of cardiac muscle occur in four phases too viz;
• Initial depolarization; occur rapidly rapid due to opening of fast sodium
channels and the rapid influx of sodium ions
• Initial repolarization; occurs due to the transient efflux of a small quantity of
potassium ions from it channel in the muscle with fast sodium channels close
• A plateau or final depolarization; due to the slow opening of calcium channel
for influx of calcium ion for longer duration
• Final repolarization; occur due to efflux of potassium ions from it channel

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 14

Pacemaker cells (SA node)

• small strip of modified cardiac muscle, situated in the superior part of lateral wall
of right atrium and below the opening of SVC
• They produce impulses for heartbeat
• The impulses are conducted to the whole cardiac via the conductive system
• Components of Conductive System
• AV node; situated in right posterior portion of intra-atrial septum. Impulses reaches AV node
via internodal fibers (Anterior internodal fibers of Bachman, Middle internodal fibers of
Wenckebach and Posterior internodal fibers of Thorel)
• Bundle of His; are fibers the arises from AV node that divides into right and left branches,
which run on either side of the interventricular septum
• Right and left bundle branches; major branch of the conductive system that supply impulses
to the right and left venctricle
• Purkinje fibers; arise from right or left bundle of His to spread impulses all over the
ventricular myocardium

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 15

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 16
Electrical Potential In SA Node

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 17

Control of cardiac contractility.
• They are the factors that regulation cardiac muscle contractility some of which
includes;
• Sympathetic nerve fiber stimulation: Increases myocardiac contractility via beta-1
adrenergic receptors
• parasympathetic stimulation: decreases myocardiac contractility via inhibition of
sympathetic stimulation
• Catecholamines like Epinephrine and norepinephrine enhance contractility
• level calcium ions concentration in cardiac muscle cells is crucial for muscle
contraction; increased intracellular calcium boosts contractility
• Effect of Preload: Increased stretch on cardiac muscle fibers (Frank-Starling
mechanism) enhances contractility
• Influence of Afterload: The pressure the heart must be overcomed to be able to
eject blood

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 18

 Department of Human Physiology
Faculty of Basic Medical Sciences
Federal University Dutse Jigawa State

Week 1 lecture 3
• Properties of cardiac muscles. Cardiac output - measurement
and control.

Course: PHS 207/217 Cardiovascular System Physiology Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 19

Properties of cardiac muscles
• Excitability
• Excitability it is the ability of the cadiac muscle to respond stiumulus
expecialy electrical stimulus from SA node in the form action potential.
• It is usually followed by mechanical activity in the form of contraction
• Electrical potential of cardiac muscle at is called Resting Membrane
Potential
• Single cardiac muscle fiber : – 85 to – 95 mV
• Sinoatrial (SA) node : – 55 to – 60 mV
• Purkinje fibers : – 90 to – 100 mV.
• While in action i.e while muscle is contracting is called action potential

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 20

• Rhythmicity
• ability of a cardiac muscle tissue to produce its own impulses
regularly
• pacemaker cells (P cells) or SA node provide the impulse needed by
the cardiac muscle for it autorhythmicity
• Rhythmicity of Different Parts of Human Heart
• SA node : 70 to 80/minute
• AV node : 40 to 60/minute
• Atrial muscle : 40 to 60/minute
• Purkinje fibers : 35 to 40/minute
• Ventricular muscle : 20 to 40/minute.
03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 21
• Conductivity
• Human heart has a specialized conductive system, through which
impulses from SA node are transmitted to all other parts of the heart
• Components of Conductive System in Human Heart
• AV node
• Bundle of His
• Right and left bundle branches
• Purkinje fibers

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03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 23
• Contractility
• ability of the cardiac muscle tissue to shorten in length (contraction)
after receiving a stimulus

03-Jul-25 Course: PHS 207/217 CVS Lecturer: Dr. D. U. Jamil 24

• Cardiac output - measurement and control.
• Cardiac output is the amount of blood pumped from each ventricle per
minute
• in routine clinical practice, cardiac output refers to minute volume
• Cardiac Output (Minute volume) = Stroke volume × Heart rate
• Stroke volume is the amount of blood pumped out by each ventricle during
each heart beat.
• Normal value: 70 mL (60 to 80 mL) when the heart rate is normal
(72/minute)
• CO Normal value: 5 L/ventricle/minute
• Cardiac index is the minute volume expressed in relation to square meter
of body surface area.
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