{"id":264,"date":"2021-04-07T23:54:00","date_gmt":"2021-04-08T03:54:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/chapter\/introduction-to-the-cardiovascular-system\/"},"modified":"2024-06-06T11:32:10","modified_gmt":"2024-06-06T15:32:10","slug":"introduction-to-the-cardiovascular-system","status":"publish","type":"chapter","link":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/chapter\/introduction-to-the-cardiovascular-system\/","title":{"raw":"Introduction to the Cardiovascular System","rendered":"Introduction to the Cardiovascular System"},"content":{"raw":"<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The cardiovascular system is important because it is responsible for the provision of <strong>blood<\/strong>, <strong>oxygen<\/strong>, and <strong>nutrients<\/strong> to the body\u2019s tissues and organs. If this system is not working properly, it provides sub-optimal perfusion of these elements to body tissues. Lack of perfusion can affect all body systems and tissues as a result of pathophysiological processes related to <strong>[pb_glossary id=\"372\"]hypoxemia[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong>, <strong>[pb_glossary id=\"374\"]hypoxia[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong>, and <strong>[pb_glossary id=\"398\"]electrolyte imbalances[\/pb_glossary]<\/strong>. As a nurse, your assessment of the cardiovascular system provides information about the functioning of this system and potential cues that require your action.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Cardiovascular System Components<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The main components of the cardiovascular system include:<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<ul style=\"text-align: left\">\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The heart (two atriums, two ventricles, and four valves).<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The main vessels (aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, and superior and inferior vena cava).<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The coronary arteries.<\/span><\/li>\r\n \t<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The carotid arteries and jugular veins (typically considered part of the peripheral vascular system but also included in this chapter). See <strong>Figure 1<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\r\n<\/ul>\r\n<img src=\"http:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/assessmentnursing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/192\/2021\/09\/1.-Neck-Vessels-1024x396.png\" alt=\"A man's neck with the jugular veins, carotid arteries, muscles, trachea and clavicle drwwn on top of the body.\" width=\"604\" height=\"232\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-581\" \/>\r\n\r\n<strong>Figure 1<\/strong>: Carotid arteries and jugular veins.\r\n\r\n<span style=\"color: #000000\">Photo by<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@enginakyurt\">engin akyurt<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000\">on<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/\">Unsplash<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000\"> (image was cropped and illustrated upon for the purposes of this chapter)<\/span>\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">You have probably already learned about the anatomy and physiology of the heart; see <strong>Video 1<\/strong> for is a quick overview of how the heart works:<\/span><\/p>\r\n[embed]https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=h3SGzuggxxk[\/embed]\r\n\r\n<strong>Video 1<\/strong>: Overview of how the heart works.\r\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\"><header class=\"textbox__header\">\r\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"text-align: center\">Clinical Tip<\/h2>\r\n<\/header>\r\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The cardiovascular system is interconnected and influences many other body systems, so it is rarely assessed in isolation. When nurses are attempting to make sense of the cues that are relevant and of concern, they commonly assess other body systems: respiratory, peripheral vascular, and skin.<\/span><\/p>\r\n\r\n<\/div>\r\n<\/div>\r\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Activity: Check Your Understanding<\/span><\/h2>\r\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">[h5p id=\"2\"]<\/span><\/p>","rendered":"<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The cardiovascular system is important because it is responsible for the provision of <strong>blood<\/strong>, <strong>oxygen<\/strong>, and <strong>nutrients<\/strong> to the body\u2019s tissues and organs. If this system is not working properly, it provides sub-optimal perfusion of these elements to body tissues. Lack of perfusion can affect all body systems and tissues as a result of pathophysiological processes related to <strong><button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"264-372\">hypoxemia<\/button><\/strong>, <strong><button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"264-374\">hypoxia<\/button><\/strong>, and <strong><button class=\"glossary-term\" aria-describedby=\"264-398\">electrolyte imbalances<\/button><\/strong>. As a nurse, your assessment of the cardiovascular system provides information about the functioning of this system and potential cues that require your action.<\/span><\/p>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Cardiovascular System Components<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The main components of the cardiovascular system include:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul style=\"text-align: left\">\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The heart (two atriums, two ventricles, and four valves).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The main vessels (aorta, pulmonary artery, pulmonary vein, and superior and inferior vena cava).<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The coronary arteries.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The carotid arteries and jugular veins (typically considered part of the peripheral vascular system but also included in this chapter). See <strong>Figure 1<\/strong>.<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"http:\/\/pressbooks.library.ryerson.ca\/assessmentnursing\/wp-content\/uploads\/sites\/192\/2021\/09\/1.-Neck-Vessels-1024x396.png\" alt=\"A man's neck with the jugular veins, carotid arteries, muscles, trachea and clavicle drwwn on top of the body.\" width=\"604\" height=\"232\" class=\"alignnone wp-image-581\" \/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Figure 1<\/strong>: Carotid arteries and jugular veins.<\/p>\n<p><span style=\"color: #000000\">Photo by<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@enginakyurt\">engin akyurt<\/a> <span style=\"color: #000000\">on<\/span> <a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/\">Unsplash<\/a><span style=\"color: #000000\"> (image was cropped and illustrated upon for the purposes of this chapter)<\/span><\/p>\n<p>&nbsp;<\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">You have probably already learned about the anatomy and physiology of the heart; see <strong>Video 1<\/strong> for is a quick overview of how the heart works:<\/span><\/p>\n<p><iframe loading=\"lazy\" id=\"oembed-1\" title=\"How does the heart work? Fundamentals for medical students.\" width=\"500\" height=\"281\" src=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/embed\/h3SGzuggxxk?feature=oembed&#38;rel=0\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/p>\n<p><strong>Video 1<\/strong>: Overview of how the heart works.<\/p>\n<div class=\"textbox textbox--examples\">\n<header class=\"textbox__header\">\n<h2 class=\"textbox__title\" style=\"text-align: center\">Clinical Tip<\/h2>\n<\/header>\n<div class=\"textbox__content\">\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">The cardiovascular system is interconnected and influences many other body systems, so it is rarely assessed in isolation. When nurses are attempting to make sense of the cues that are relevant and of concern, they commonly assess other body systems: respiratory, peripheral vascular, and skin.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<h2 style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\">Activity: Check Your Understanding<\/span><\/h2>\n<p style=\"text-align: left\"><span style=\"color: #000000\"><\/p>\n<div id=\"h5p-2\">\n<div class=\"h5p-iframe-wrapper\"><iframe id=\"h5p-iframe-2\" class=\"h5p-iframe\" data-content-id=\"2\" style=\"height:1px\" src=\"about:blank\" frameBorder=\"0\" scrolling=\"no\" title=\"Ch 4 - Intro\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p><\/span><\/p>\n<div class=\"glossary\"><div class=\"glossary__tooltip\" id=\"264-372\" hidden><p>refers to low levels of oxygen in the blood.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"glossary__tooltip\" id=\"264-374\" hidden><p>refers to low levels of oxygen in tissues and organs.<\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"glossary__tooltip\" id=\"264-398\" hidden><p>refers to high or low levels of electrolytes in the body such as potassium, sodium, and calcium.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>","protected":false},"author":34,"menu_order":2,"template":"","meta":{"pb_show_title":"on","pb_short_title":"","pb_subtitle":"","pb_authors":[],"pb_section_license":"cc-by-nc"},"chapter-type":[49],"contributor":[72],"license":[56],"class_list":["post-264","chapter","type-chapter","status-publish","hentry","chapter-type-numberless","contributor-december-2021","license-cc-by-nc"],"part":260,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/264","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/chapter"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/34"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/264\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2672,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/264\/revisions\/2672"}],"part":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/parts\/260"}],"metadata":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapters\/264\/metadata\/"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=264"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"chapter-type","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/pressbooks\/v2\/chapter-type?post=264"},{"taxonomy":"contributor","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/contributor?post=264"},{"taxonomy":"license","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/pressbooks.library.torontomu.ca\/assessmentnursingmain\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/license?post=264"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}