Physiology, Cardiac

Excerpt

Clinical personnel must understand how cardiac physiology is intertwined with other organ systems and how pathophysiology relates to simple gross physiology. Cardiac physiology is one of healthcare's most important aspects of medical knowledge.

The cardiovascular system constantly adapts to maintain homeostasis in the body, specifically to maintain oxygen perfusion of tissues. The heart will adapt via multiple variables such as heart rate, stroke volume, preload, afterload, diastole, and systole. This article defines these terms and extrapolates them into a working model of cardiac physiology.