A well-understood model of the cardiac cycle in animals is the so-called “ATA” or atrial cycle, where the heart’s electrical activity is described by the onset of the cardiac cycle, i.e. the beating of the heart. The cardiac cycle phases can be very different between species.
The cardiac cycle phases of animals with a three-chambered heart are very similar, except that in such cases, the ventricles and atria are not completely separated. Many taxonomists believe that the evolution of the cardiovascular system in vertebrates followed a common ancestor that was already well-developed, but in which the ventricular and atrial systems were very different. The heart in these animals could use both types of the chamber. For instance, the fly has a three-chamber heart. Other examples of well-developed animals include horses, sharks, and cetaceans.
The heart has three chambers: atrial diastole (pre-stroke), atrial flotation (or post-stroke), and atrial contraction (or peristaltic). The heart in such animals can perform the same cardiac cycle phases over again, depending on the atrial diastole. Such animals differ from reptiles, wherein the chambers may be closed during peristaltic rhythms. Another example is the whale, which has four distinct cardiac cycle phases (i.e. atrial diastole, atrial contractions, and flotation, and peristaltic rhythm).
The first and last two Phases of the Cardiac Cycle are calling the cardiac cycle periods. In the case of allografts, the atrial chamber fills with blood only during the first or last two phases of the cardiac cycle. This means that the atrial valve, which is present at birth, does not begin sealing until much later in life. In the case of congenital heart defects, this condition may be observed even in the newborn, where the condition is called ‘ectopic valve syndrome’.
The ventricular segments begin to fill with blood only during the first or last two phases of the cardiac cycle. In congenital heart disease, however, the condition is different. In this case, the atria begin to open immediately after birth and the hearts are unable to maintain a regular rhythm even after pumping blood for several seconds.
The hearts are then able to relax and finish the ventricular filling. However, the ventricular contraction does not occur at the end of the ventricular cycle. Instead, the ventricular muscles contract once again after pumping blood for another few seconds. It takes about four beats to complete one cycle. At this point, the ventricular contraction is complete and the hearts have begun to relax. This is the main difference between normal and cardiac cycle.
The cardiac cycle diagram can also help a cardiologist understand the different phases of the heartbeat. If a patient has some heart diseases like congenital or atrial systole, the cardiologist will need to use the atrial systole/decreasing phase of the cardiac cycle diagrams to determine the rhythm. It is important for the physician to understand the different phases of the heartbeat. The atrial systole is the contraction that occurs just before the ventricular contraction occurs. The atrial stage is characterized by a slowing down in the heartbeat and a lowering of the blood pressure.
On the other hand, the duration of the ventricular contraction is measured using the ventricular cycle time, which is the time taken for the heart to return to its resting stage. A normal person has a normal duration of about two beats. However, it differs between persons since some people have longer durations of two beats while others have shorter durations. The duration of the ventricular contraction can be used as an indicator of the cardiac function in a patient.
After the atria, the ventricular filling stage occurs. This is the stage where the heart pumps blood into the body. Blood moves from the atria to the ventricles after pumping. Blood will fill the ventricles, cause contractions of the muscles, and push against the diaphragm to force it open. A normal person fills the ventricles within two seconds.
Once the heartbeats, the ventilation process occurs. The duration of the ventilation process varies from one person to another depending on his or her physiology. Hence, the duration of the cardiac cycle has to be determined in order to assess the functioning of the heart. The normal duration is three seconds.
The next stage after the atrium is the intima. This is the stage where the ventricle relaxes and opens. During this time, there is a rise in blood pressure. The Intima of the atrium is thicker than that of the atrium. It also contains more blood than the ventricle. The duration of the intima depends on physiology.