Cardiovascular Physiology Lab Report

Introduction

Cardiovascular Dynamics and the Cardiovascular Physiology experiments both have multiple goals. The first experiment aims to understand how blood flow, pressure gradient, and resistance relate to one another. To understand this, resistance and contributing factors, such as vessel radius, viscosity, and vessel length must be studied. The effects of vessel radius and stroke volume on the ventricular pump should also examined. The experiment also calls for an understanding of cardiovascular compensation. Pump mechanics are further understood through a design of further experiments. The Cardiovascular Physiology experiment attempts to understand the effects of parasympathetic and sympathetic nervous systems on the heart, through vagus nerve stimulation. Refractory periods and relative refractory periods will be studied in direct stimulations of the heart, as well as the five phases of the cardiac cycle. Lastly, the effects of temperature, hormones, and ions will be understood. Epinephrine, pilocarpine, atropine and digitalis are the hormones used to modify the heart. Sodium, potassium and calcium are the ions used in this experiment.

Methods In the Vessel Resistance section for the Cardiovascular Dynamics experiment, two glass beakers, a tube connecting them and a pressure meter were used. The left beaker represented the heart, the right breaker represented the body and the tube was the artery. For the Pump Mechanics
In the first activity, direct single stimulation was delivered to the heart at the beginning, peak, and end of ventricular contraction and its effect were observed and recorded. Then, multiple stimuli were delivered and the effects were observed and recorded. In the second activity, multiple stimuli were delivered to the vagus nerve of the heart and the effects were