Cardiovascular Physiology Flashcards
7 cards from real ACSM practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.
Read the first 7 Cardiovascular Physiology flashcards as text
Which baroreceptors are the PRIMARY sensors for detecting acute changes in arterial blood pressure?
Answer: Stretch receptors in the carotid sinus and aortic arch
High-pressure baroreceptors located in the carotid sinus and aortic arch detect arterial wall stretch and provide rapid reflex feedback to regulate blood pressure.
What physiological mechanism explains why heart rate does not increase linearly with cardiac output during very high-intensity exercise?
Answer: Stroke volume plateaus and cardiac output becomes heart-rate dependent
At higher exercise intensities, stroke volume plateaus (limited filling time) and further increases in cardiac output rely primarily on increasing heart rate.
Which Fick equation component is most responsible for the higher VO₂max observed in elite endurance athletes compared to sedentary individuals?
Answer: Greater maximal cardiac output (Q̇max)
Elite endurance athletes primarily achieve higher VO₂max through substantially greater maximal cardiac output, facilitated by larger stroke volumes from cardiac hypertrophy and increased plasma volume.
A client exhibits a blunted heart rate response to increasing exercise intensity. Which condition is MOST likely responsible?
Answer: Chronotropic incompetence
Chronotropic incompetence is defined as an inability to appropriately increase heart rate in response to increasing metabolic demand, often seen in heart failure or following cardiac surgery.
During recovery from maximal exercise, which cardiovascular variable returns to resting values MOST rapidly?
Answer: Heart rate
Heart rate declines rapidly post-exercise (within 1–2 minutes) due to rapid vagal reactivation, while stroke volume, blood pressure, and plasma volume take longer to normalize.
Which vascular adaptation occurs with long-term aerobic exercise training?
Answer: Reduced resting systolic blood pressure in hypertensive individuals
Regular aerobic training reduces resting systolic blood pressure by approximately 5–7 mmHg in hypertensive individuals through improved vascular compliance and reduced sympathetic tone.
Which cardiac chamber generates the highest pressure during systole?
Answer: Left ventricle
The left ventricle generates systolic pressures of approximately 120 mmHg to overcome systemic vascular resistance, compared to ~25 mmHg in the right ventricle.