Nursing Field Notes / Cardio · Pathophysiology Course

Cardiovascular Key Terms 🫀

NG-028 CARDIO ADHD-friendly visual edition

The heart acts like a pump, pumping oxygen-rich blood OUT to the body — mainly possible with the help of the “big momma” LEFT ventricle! Acting like a slingshot, it shoots blood out through the aorta & arteries to perfuse (oxygenate) the vital organs.

📄 Simple Nursing original — opens in Drive →

🏹 A-A · 🌀 V-VArteries push blood Away · Veins Vacuum it back.

🌊 CO = SV × HRNormal cardiac output 4–8 L/min.

📉 EF ≤ 40% = BAD!Indicates heart failure (normal 55–70%).

🚨 Troponin > 0.5#1 indicator of MI (heart attack).

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PUMP

STEP 1 · THE PLUMBING

One pump, three loops — every circulation term lives on this map.

🗺️ The circulation term map — 3 loops, 1 big momma

🧠 Pulmonary Picks up O2 · Systemic Ships it out · Coronary feeds the Crew (the heart muscle itself).

🫀 The pump & the “big momma” LV

The heart pumps oxygen-rich blood OUT to the body — mainly thanks to the LEFT ventricle.

Acting like a slingshot 🏹, the LEFT ventricle shoots oxygen-rich blood out through the aorta & arteries to perfuse (oxygenate) the vital organs.

🔄 Cardiac basics — arteries vs veins MEMORY TRICK

Arteries push oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to perfuse the tissues. Veins vacuum DE-oxygenated blood back to the RIGHT side of the heart.

🧠 A-A: Arteries push O2-rich blood Away · V-V: Veins Vacuum DE-oxygenated blood back.

🌍 Systemic circulation

The movement of oxygen-rich blood from the heart to the rest of the body through the arteries — and back to the heart via the veins.

🫁 Pulmonary circulation

The movement of blood between the heart & lungs. Deoxygenated blood travels through the RIGHT side into the lungs to absorb O2 and release CO2 — then back to the LEFT side to be pumped to the body.

❤️ Coronary circulation

Supplies oxygen-rich blood to the myocardium (heart muscle) via the coronary arteries. The pump has to feed itself first!

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PUSH

STEP 2 · THE NUMBERS

How hard, how much, how often — the hemodynamic vocabulary.

🧮 The one formula to rule them all KEY NUMBERS

🧠 Cardiac OUTput = O2 blood OUT to the body. How much OUT per minute? Squeeze-size × squeeze-count.

💓 Heart Rate (HR)

The number of times the heart beats in a minute.

Normal: 60–100 bpm

🏹 Stroke Volume (SV)

The amount of blood pumped by the left ventricle of the heart in 1 heart contraction.

🌊 Cardiac Output (CO)

The amount of blood the heart pumps in 1 minute.

Normal: 4–8 L/minute

🎈 Preload — the fill & stretch

The filling & stretching of the ventricles’ myocardium (heart muscle) right before contraction (pump).

🧠 PREload = PREfill. The balloon stretch BEFORE the squeeze.

🧱 Afterload — the fight to eject

The amount of resistance the heart has to overcome to eject blood out of the ventricles & into systemic circulation (the blood vessels). Also known as systemic vascular resistance (SVR).

🧠 AFTERload = the fight AFTER the fill — shoving the door (SVR) open to get blood out.

📉 Ejection Fraction (EF) KEY NUMBERS

The percentage of blood leaving the heart each time it contracts (in 1 pump).

🧠 “Life begins at 55” — EF under 55 is slipping, and 40 or less = the heart is failing.

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PROOF

STEP 3 · THE LABS

When the muscle is damaged, it leaks evidence into the blood.

🚨 Cardiac enzymes & the ROMI panel PATHO TEST TIP

Cardiac enzymes are released into the circulation when the heart muscle is damaged from lack of oxygen (ischemia), indicating myocardial necrosis (tissue death) during a myocardial infarction (MI) — heart attack.

ROMI panel = the cardiac enzymes taken after a heart attack (MI): Troponin · Myoglobin · CK-MB

⭐ Troponin — the star witness

Proteins found in both skeletal and cardiac muscle fibers that regulate muscular contraction.

#1 indicator = Myocardial Infarction (MI) — heart attack. Troponin > 0.5

🧠 “Top test” = T-T: Troponin over 0.5 · Trauma to heart muscles.

💪 Myoglobin

Any damage to muscle tissue — including myocardial necrosis. Not picky about which muscle got hurt.

🧬 Creatinine Kinase (CK, CPK)

Muscle enzyme on the ROMI panel — the cardiac-specific form is CK-MB, drawn after a heart attack (MI).

💙 Natriuretic peptides — ANP & BNP TEST TIP

ANP — Atrial Natriuretic Peptides
BNP — Brain or B-Type Natriuretic Peptides

BNP is very helpful in diagnosing the severity of CHF — Congestive Heart Failure.

🧠 B-B: BNP = Bulging ventricles. The more the ventricles bulge, the higher the BNP.

📶 BNP staircase — CHF severity KEY NUMBERS

🧠 BNP climbs by threes: 3-6-9. 300 Mild → 600 Moderate → 900 SEVERE. Under 100? You're fine.

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QUICK RECALL

SAY IT OUT LOUD

🏹 Arteries Away🌀 Veins Vacuum back to the RIGHT side.

🌊 CO = SV × HR4–8 L/min · HR 60–100 bpm.

📉 EF 55–70% normal≤ 40% = BAD → heart failure.

🚨 Troponin > 0.5 = MIBNP 3-6-9 = mild → moderate → SEVERE CHF.

🎯 Cover & check — 4 rapid-fire questions

Q1: What is the cardiac output formula, and what is a normal CO?

CO = SV × HR — normal is 4–8 L/minute.

Q2: A client's ejection fraction is 38%. What does that indicate?

40% or LESS is BAD — it indicates heart failure (normal EF is 55–70%).

Q3: What is the #1 lab indicator of a myocardial infarction, and at what level?

Troponin greater than 0.5 — “Top test: Troponin over 0.5, Trauma to heart muscles.”

Q4: BNP comes back at 650. How severe is the CHF?

600+ = Moderate CHF (900+ would be SEVERE). Remember: BNP = Bulging ventricles.