Practice Test Geeks(CCT) Certified Cardiac Technician Practice Test
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Cardiac Anatomy & Physiology Flashcards

7 cards from real CCT practice questions. Tap to flip, then mark Knew It or Still Learning — missed cards come back until you master them.

Read the first 7 Cardiac Anatomy & Physiology flashcards as text

  1. Which of the following best defines 'afterload' in cardiac physiology?

    Answer: The resistance the ventricle must overcome to eject blood

    Afterload is the resistance or wall stress that the ventricle must overcome during systole to eject blood, primarily determined by systemic vascular resistance for the left ventricle.

  2. In a dominant right coronary circulation, the RCA gives rise to which critical branch supplying the inferior wall?

    Answer: Posterior descending artery (PDA)

    In right-dominant circulation (about 70% of people), the RCA gives rise to the posterior descending artery, which supplies the inferior wall of the left ventricle and posterior third of the interventricular septum.

  3. Which ion is primarily responsible for the plateau phase (phase 2) of the cardiac action potential?

    Answer: Calcium (Ca2+)

    During phase 2 (plateau), slow L-type calcium channels open and Ca2+ influx balances K+ efflux, prolonging depolarization and triggering myocardial contraction via excitation-contraction coupling.

  4. The 'a' wave seen in the jugular venous pulse (JVP) corresponds to which cardiac event?

    Answer: Atrial contraction

    The 'a' wave of the JVP reflects atrial contraction, which increases right atrial pressure and is transmitted back into the jugular veins just before ventricular systole.

  5. Which wall of the left ventricle is most commonly affected in an occlusion of the left circumflex artery?

    Answer: Lateral wall

    The left circumflex artery supplies the lateral wall of the left ventricle; its occlusion typically produces a lateral myocardial infarction with ST changes in leads I, aVL, V5, and V6.

  6. What is the intrinsic firing rate of the AV node if the SA node fails?

    Answer: 40–60 bpm

    The AV node has an intrinsic automaticity of 40–60 bpm; if the SA node fails, the AV node takes over as a subsidiary pacemaker at this slower junctional rate.

  7. The moderator band (septomarginal trabecula) is located in which cardiac chamber and carries which conduction fiber?

    Answer: Right ventricle; right bundle branch

    The moderator band is a muscular band crossing the right ventricle from the interventricular septum to the anterior papillary muscle, carrying the right bundle branch to the ventricular wall.