A collection of Wiggers diagrams are available in this post to help you learn about the cardiac cycle. A Wiggers diagram is a standard diagram used in cardiac physiology named after Dr. Carl J. Wiggers who did important work in circulatory physiology in the early part of the 20th century. This diagram is a graphical representation of the cardiac cycle. Wiggers’ diagrams can vary in detail and number of variables presented. Regardless, all provide essential information on how the normal heart functions with a minimum description of pressure changes during phases of diastole and systole. Take a look at the first 101 Diagrams below.
There are several components in a Wiggers diagram. This 101 Diagrams is a graphical representation of cardiac events through diastole, systole, and back to diastole. The diagram above illustrates the cardiac cycle. On the top of this diagram are three lines that deal with pressures: aortic pressure, left ventricular pressure and left atrial pressure. The next line across is left ventricular volume, that is, the volume of blood contained within the left ventricular chamber at any given point in the cardiac cycle. The difference between the maximum and minimum value is the volume of blood ejected by the left ventricle.
Next is the electrocardiogram, a recording made at the skin surface, of the electrical events of the heart. It is a surface recording that ‘sums’ all of the action potentials of individual muscle fibers. The P wave corresponds to the electrical depolarization that takes place just before atrial contraction, the QRS complex is the depolarization that precedes ventricular contraction and the final wave, the T wave, is caused by ventricular repolarization. On the bottom is the phonocardiogram, a recording of heart sounds using a surface microphone on the chest.
With all these diagrams and the descriptions, hopefully it will help you in learning about Wiggers diagrams. All these diagrams are free and just click on the images to save it! Get other educational diagrams in our site by typing the keyword on the search column. Don’t forget to share this article to your social media account!