Megan Bucheimer

Web Drop-In # 3

Spring 2005

Pressures Inside of the Heart

In our study of the heart, we need to explore the relationship between the movements of the heart muscle and the pressure that the heart puts on the blood as it moves through the heart. To see how this relationship functions while the heart is beating, visit the following site: http://www-medlib.med.utah.edu/kw/pharm/hyper_heart1.html.

Use the controls for play, stop, forward, and reverse to see each step of the process. Take a few minutes and closely examine the pattern of the blood flow through the heart. After you feel comfortable with the movements of the heart chambers and valves, look at the chart on the right which describes the various pressures that are occurring within the heart.

Record the following questions and answers in your lab notebooks:

1. Describe the relationship between the aortic pressure and the ventricular volume. Be sure to include information concerning the valves and the change in pressure within the heart.

2. Explain how the pressure within the aorta can be at a maximum before the ventricle has emptied all of the blood.