Dive intopressure-volume loops, which illustrate ventricular function. This episode explainsventricular filling, isovolumic contraction, ejection, and isovolumic relaxation, along with the effects ofpreload, afterload, and contractility on stroke volume.

Learn howheart rate and stroke volume determine cardiac output (Qc = HR × SV). This episode explainscardiac reserve, ejection fraction, and the factors that regulate Qc, emphasizing how the heart adjusts to meet metabolic demands.

Understand themechanical and pressure changes that occur in each heartbeat. This episode coverssystolic and diastolic blood pressure, aortic pressure dynamics, and the differences between right and left ventricular pressures, highlighting the left ventricle’s higher workload.

Explore theWiggers Diagram, a comprehensive visual of the cardiac cycle. This episode connectsventricular pressure, volume changes, ECG activity, and heart sounds, showing how these factors interact duringventricular filling, isovolumic contraction, ejection, and isovolumic relaxation.

Stroke volume—the amount of blood ejected per beat—is influenced by preload, contractility, and afterload. This episode covers the Frank-Starling Law, inotropic effects, and how afterload affects cardiac output.

Cardiac muscle differs from skeletal muscle due to its autorhythmicity, intercalated discs, and plateau phase. This episode explores calcium’s role in contraction, action potential phases, and why the heart cannot undergo tetanus.

The EKG provides a graphical representation of heart activity. This episode breaks down the P-wave, QRS complex, T-wave, and intervals, helping you understand how electrical signals correlate with heart contraction and rhythm.

Trace the electrical pathway of the heart, from the SA node to the Purkinje fibers. Learn how gap junctions coordinate contraction, how AV node delay optimizes filling time, and how backup pacemakers maintain rhythm if the SA node fails.

Heart rate is influenced by sympathetic and parasympathetic control, chronotropic agents, and venous return. This episode examines how heart rate affects cardiac output and filling time, ensuring the heart meets the body's oxygen demands.

Uncover how cardiac pacemaker cells generate the electrical impulses that drive the heartbeat. This episode explains pacemaker potential drift, the role of the SA and AV nodes, and how the autonomic nervous system regulates heart rate.