Heart and Thorax Anatomy

Which parts of the heart carry oxygenated blood?

1. Aorta 2. Tricuspid Valve, 3. Left Atrium, 4. Left Ventricle, 5. Mitral Valve, 6. Pulmonary Vein, 7. Aortaic Valve

Which parts of the heart carry deoxygenated blood?

1. Right atrium 2. Inferior Vena Cava 3. Pulmonary Artery 4. Pulmonary Valve 5. Chordae Teninae 6. Right ventricle

Characteristics of the Right Ventricle

1. positioned in the chest to form the majority of the anterior aspect of the heart. 2. contains a series of ridges (channels) - TRABECULAE CARNAE (some of these structures convey part of the conduction system) 3. commences with the right atrioventricular or TRICUSPID valve and houses CHORDINAE TENDINAE and PAPILLARY MUSCLES

Characteristics of the Left ventricle (LV)

1. positioned to form the majority of the posterior aspect of the heart 2. larger chamber than RV (but ejects same volume of blood per beat) 3. commences with the left atrioventricular or BISCUSPID valave and houses CHORDINAE TENDINAE and PAPILLARY MUSCLES

Which would be more serious, a blockage in the left coronary artery or the posterior interventricular artery?

A blackage in any of the major vessels will liekly cause death as they supply blood to large areas of the heart. Blockage to either left or right coronary arteries are most serioud as they are major tributaries essentially feeding anterior and posterior walls of the heart respectively.

What area of the heart does the left coronary artery supply?

Anterior interventricular artery and circumflex artery

What area of the heart does the anterior interventricular artery (left anterior descending artery) supply?

Anterior walls of both ventricles

How and why are the thickness and rigidity of arteries different?

Arteries are thicker and more rigid. This allows them to with stand greater pressures and not distend too much, keeping flow relatively constant. In contrast, when veins are placed under pressure they will distend and allow blood to pool, so don't maintain pressure as well (which is why skeletal muscle beds pressing on veins are important for stopping blood from pooling in veins and maintaining venous return.

What are the functions of CHORDAE TENDINEAE?

Chordae tendinae connect valves to papillary muscles.

Why are the major vessels of the heart on the surface and not deep within the cardiac muscle?

Contraction in the muscle would cause the arteries to be compressed. By having the arteries on the outside only the smaller vessels are compressed during a contraction and will quickly fill up again when the heart relaxes.

What results when the coronary artery is blocked?

Death of the cardiac tissue beyong that area.

What location is the heart to the lungs?

Heart is medial to the lungs. The lungs are lateral to the heart.

Describe the oxygenation state of the blood in the coronary arteries?

High oxygenrelative to veins. Have received oxygenated blood coming back from the lungs.

Are the left and right lungs symmetrical? If not why?

Left lung has shape adapted to make space for heart

Is there a difference between the left and right ventricular walls.

Left ventricular walls are much thicker becauase they need muscle mass to create a greater pressure than the right ventricle does. The volumes of the chambers are not different.

Describe the colour and texture of the lungs and the heart.

Lungs are paler and spongier. Heart is mostly muscle which is dark red in color. The pinkness of the lungs is from blood in capillaries around the alveoli

What are the functions of the papillary muscles?

Papillary muscles hold the vlaves shut when the ventricles are contracting.

Put the folllowing layers in order from superficial to deep. Bone + Muscle, Skin, Adipose (fat)

Skin, Adipose, Muscle + Bone

Describe the length and degree of branching of the vessels connecting the heart and the lungs.

The pulmonary arteries and veins are very short as the heart and lungs are close to each other. The pulmonary artery branches almost as soon as it leaves the heart and the left and right pulmonary veins only join together just efore theyenter the left atrium.

Describe the differences between the left and right atria.

There is not much difference between the left and right atria and a thin walled compared to the ventricles. The left and right ventricles work at similiar pressures. Its the ventricles that are different.

Why is the left ventricle thicker than the right?

as before (Left ventricular walls are much thicker becauase they need muscle mass to create a greater pressure than the right ventricle does).

What area of the heart does the circumflex artery supply?

left atrium and posterior wallls of left ventricle

Whatarea of the heart does the posterior interventricular artery supply?

posterior interventricular walls

What is the function of the valves in the heart?

stop backflow from arteries into ventricles when ventricles are at lower pressure than arteries )i.e. when ventricles are relaxed and don't have much blood in them)

What is the function of the atrioventricular valves?

stop backflow from ventricles to atria when the ventricles are contracting

What area of the heart does the right marginal artery supply?

supplies blood to lateral right side of heart

What area of the heart does the right coronary artery suplly?

supplies blood to the right marginal artery and posterior interventricular artery