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Foundations Of Medicine > 3.4 The Heart > Flashcards

3.4 The Heart Flashcards

1
Q

Which chamber of the heart do the superior and inferior vena cava connect to?

A

Right atrium

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2
Q

Which cavity is the heart found in?

A

The pericardial cavity

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3
Q

Is the heart anterior or posterior to the sternum?

A

Posterior

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4
Q

Between which two vertebrae is the thoracic angle found? Why is this significant in terms of the heart?

A

Between T4/T5. This is where the heart starst.

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5
Q

What is the mediastinum?

A

Medial: Middle
Stinum: Space

The mediastinum is the area between the lungs

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6
Q

What are the components of the inferior mediastinum? In which one is the heart located?

A
  • Anterior
  • Middle (Heart located here!)
  • Posterior
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7
Q

Is the heart posterior or anterior to the oesophagus?

A

Anterior

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8
Q

Is the heart superior or inferior to the diaphragm? Are they connected, and why does this matter?

A
  • Superior to diaphragm
  • They are connected, which means that - when we breathe through our stomach - the heart is stretched
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9
Q

Why do we have the pericardium?

A
  • Stability
  • Lubrication
  • Prevents adhesion and infection
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10
Q

List the layers of the heart from external to internal

A
  • Parietal pericardium
  • Visceral pericardium/Epicardium
  • Myocardium
  • Endocardium
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11
Q

What is in the pericardial cavity (aside from the heart)?

A

Fluid (for lubrication etc.)

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12
Q

What is another name for the visceral pericardium?

A

Epicardium

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13
Q

What is cardiac tamponade?

A
  • Blood leaks into the pericardial sac
  • The pericardial sac cannot stretch
  • Atria can no longer be filled
  • People die
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14
Q

List the positions of the four valves of the heart

A
  • Between left ventricle and left atrium
  • Between right ventricle and right atrium
  • Between right ventricle and pulmonary artery
  • Between left ventricle and aorta
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14
Q

What are the names of the two types of valves of the heart?

A
  • Semilunar (half moon): ventricles and aorta/pulmonary trunk
  • Atrioventricular: ventricles and atria
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15
Q

Which intercostal space is the apex of the heart in?

A

5th

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16
Q

What are the muscles on the rough wall of the heart called?

A

Pectinate muscles

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17
Q

What is the smooth wall of the heart called?

A

Sinus venarum. (was a vein during development)

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18
Q

What is the dimple in the sinus venarum called?

A

Oval fossa

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19
Q

What is the name of the border between the pectinate muscles and the sinus venarum?

A

Crista terminalis (a crest)

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20
Q

What is the name of the right atrioventicular valve of the heart? Why?

A

Tricuspid valves. Contains three cuspids (like tri-weekly)

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21
Q

Which muscles is the tricuspid valve connected to? By what?

A

Connected to the papillary muscles by tendinous cords.

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22
Q

What is the function of papillary muscles?

A

Prevent regurgitation of blood back into the right atrium during systole.

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23
Q

What is the name of the wall that separates the two ventricles of the heart?

A

Interventricular septum

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24
What is the equivalent of the pectinate muscles for the right ventricle?
Trabeculae carnae
25
What are the two parts of the interventricular septum?
- Muscular part - Membranous part
26
How many veins does the left atrium recieve blood from?
Four
27
Does the left atrium have an auricle. What does this look kind of like?
Yes. It looks like an ear.
28
Is there a continuation of the oval fossa in the left atrium? What is it called?
Yes. Floor of oval fossa.
29
What is the name of the left atrioventicular valve of the heart? Why?
Bicuspid valve. Two cuspids (more pressure -> more simple)
30
What is the smooth surface of the left ventricle called?
Aortic vestibule
31
Why is it important that the skeleton of the heart is electrically insulated?
No electrical signal/excitation can travel between the atria and ventricles of the heart. Only via the atrioventricular node.
32
What is the purpose of the skeleton of the heart?
Anchoring and support of the cusps
33
How many fibrous rings make up the skeleton of the heart? What are they called?
- Four fibrous rings - Called annuli fibrosi
34
How many capillaries does each heart cell have contact with? Why does this make sense?
- Four - Very metabolically active cells, need to have enough oxygen to produce ATP and continue functioning
35
What are the two main coronary arteries?
- The left coronary artery - The right coronary artery
36
What is the name of the fat that the left and right coronary arteries are embedded in?
Epicardial fat
37
Which two nodes does the right coronary artery supply blood to?
- Atrioventricular node - Sinoatrial node (determines heart rhythm)
38
What does it mean that coronary arteries are functional endarteries?
- Connections between capillaries around the heart are insufficient to replace the loss of a larger blood vessel - This can lead to this part of the heart becoming ischemic
39
Where do the left and right coronary arteries start?
At the left and right coronary cusps
40
Which part of the heart does the LCA supply blood to
- More anterior, septum, and the left side
41
Which part of the heart does the RCA supply blood to
- More posterior, diaphragmatic and conductive system (the latter of which is near the superior vena cava)
42
Which part of the heart does the RCA supply blood to
- More posterior, diaphragmatic and conductive system (the latter of which is near the superior vena cava)
43
Which vessels are responsible for flow of blood from the cells of the heart into the right atrium? How much of the coronary blood takes this path?
- Coronary sinus and anterior veins - 85%
44
Which vessels are responsible for flow of blood from the cells of the heart into all four chambers of the heart? How much of the coronary blood takes this path?
- Thebesian veins - 15%
45
What are the two layers of the pericardial sac?
- Inner, serous layer - Outer, fibrous layer
46
Would it makes sense for atria or ventricles to have thicker walls? Why? Which chamber should have the thickest walls?
- Atria should have thinner walls than ventricles - Ventricles need to have a greater pumping capacity, and so they should have thicker walls than atria - Since the left ventricle needs to pump against the most resistance, it has the thickest walls of any chamber of the heart
47
Which section of the heart wall varies in thickness most between the chambers of the heart?
The myocardium (myo: muscle, cardium: heart)
48
What type of cell is on the inner surface of the pericardial sac? What is under it?
Mesothelium. Underneath it is dense connective tissue?
49
What type of cells are on the outer surface of the epicardium/visceral pericardium? What do they secrete?
- Mesothelium (simple squamous epithelium) - Secretes lubricating pericardial fluid to prevent friction as heart beats
50
Other than the outer layer of mesothelium, what can be found in the underlying connective tissue of the epicardium?
- Adipocytes - Nerves - Coronary vessels
51
What type of muscle can be found in the myocardium?
- Cardiac Muscle
52
What else is in the myocardial layer other than cardiac muscle?
- Loose connective tissue - Abundant blood capillaries (VERY high oxygen demand, with VERY high priority)
53
What is the name given to the connections between cardiac muscle cells?
Intercalated discs
54
Approximately what volume of cardiac muscle consists of mitochondria? How do they store energy for these mitochondria?
25%. Stored in large amounts of glycogen.
55
What is the difference between endomysium and perimysium?
Dense connective tissue in the heart Endomysium: supports individual myocytes Perimysium: envelops groups of myocytes
56
Is endocardium thicker in atria or ventricles?
- Thicker in atria - Thinner in ventricles (which have more muscle instead)
57
What are the three sublayers of the endocardium? (inside to outside)
1. Endothelium (simple squamous epithelium - in contact with blood) 2. Subendothelial CT (dense, regularly arranged with collagen and elastin fibres) 3. Deep CT (more irregular and looser)
58
What is the name given to structures that are present within the endocardium of the heart?
Subendocardial structures
59
What are purkinje fibres? What do they contain? Why is this important? How do they look in histological stainings?
- Modified cardiac muscle - Contain specialised fibres for rapid signal transmission - Allow for coordinated, unified contraction - Larger cells, paler staining than contractile cardiac muscle cells
60
What is the cardiac skeleton? Where is it located?
- Dense, irregular connective tissue - Located in the deep endocardial fibro-collagenous region - Located at level of heart valves that anchor valves and chambers together (looks like the plastic that holds a six-pack together)
61
Does the cardiac skeleton extend into the leaflets of cardiac valves?
Yes. yes it does.
62
What is the dense core of heart valves called?
Fibrosa
63
What is the fibrosa covered by?
fibroelastic CT and endothelium

Foundations Of Medicine (98 decks)

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