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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
Q

What is the equivalent of the pectinate muscles for the right ventricle?

A

Trabeculae carnae

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25
Q

What are the two parts of the interventricular septum?

A
  • Muscular part
  • Membranous part
26
Q

How many veins does the left atrium recieve blood from?

27
Q

Does the left atrium have an auricle. What does this look kind of like?

A

Yes. It looks like an ear.

28
Q

Is there a continuation of the oval fossa in the left atrium? What is it called?

A

Yes. Floor of oval fossa.

29
Q

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

A

Bicuspid valve. Two cuspids (more pressure -> more simple)

30
Q

What is the smooth surface of the left ventricle called?

A

Aortic vestibule

31
Q

Why is it important that the skeleton of the heart is electrically insulated?

A

No electrical signal/excitation can travel between the atria and ventricles of the heart. Only via the atrioventricular node.

32
Q

What is the purpose of the skeleton of the heart?

A

Anchoring and support of the cusps

33
Q

How many fibrous rings make up the skeleton of the heart? What are they called?

A
  • Four fibrous rings
  • Called annuli fibrosi
34
Q

How many capillaries does each heart cell have contact with? Why does this make sense?

A
  • Four
  • Very metabolically active cells, need to have enough oxygen to produce ATP and continue functioning
35
Q

What are the two main coronary arteries?

A
  • The left coronary artery
  • The right coronary artery
36
Q

What is the name of the fat that the left and right coronary arteries are embedded in?

A

Epicardial fat

37
Q

Which two nodes does the right coronary artery supply blood to?

A
  • Atrioventricular node
  • Sinoatrial node (determines heart rhythm)
38
Q

What does it mean that coronary arteries are functional endarteries?

A
  • 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
Q

Where do the left and right coronary arteries start?

A

At the left and right coronary cusps

40
Q

Which part of the heart does the LCA supply blood to

A
  • More anterior, septum, and the left side
41
Q

Which part of the heart does the RCA supply blood to

A
  • More posterior, diaphragmatic and conductive system (the latter of which is near the superior vena cava)
42
Q

Which part of the heart does the RCA supply blood to

A
  • More posterior, diaphragmatic and conductive system (the latter of which is near the superior vena cava)
43
Q

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?

A
  • Coronary sinus and anterior veins
  • 85%
44
Q

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?

A
  • Thebesian veins
  • 15%
45
Q

What are the two layers of the pericardial sac?

A
  • Inner, serous layer
  • Outer, fibrous layer
46
Q

Would it makes sense for atria or ventricles to have thicker walls? Why? Which chamber should have the thickest walls?

A
  • 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
Q

Which section of the heart wall varies in thickness most between the chambers of the heart?

A

The myocardium (myo: muscle, cardium: heart)

48
Q

What type of cell is on the inner surface of the pericardial sac? What is under it?

A

Mesothelium. Underneath it is dense connective tissue?

49
Q

What type of cells are on the outer surface of the epicardium/visceral pericardium? What do they secrete?

A
  • Mesothelium (simple squamous epithelium)
  • Secretes lubricating pericardial fluid to prevent friction as heart beats
50
Q

Other than the outer layer of mesothelium, what can be found in the underlying connective tissue of the epicardium?

A
  • Adipocytes
  • Nerves
  • Coronary vessels
51
Q

What type of muscle can be found in the myocardium?

A
  • Cardiac Muscle
52
Q

What else is in the myocardial layer other than cardiac muscle?

A
  • Loose connective tissue
  • Abundant blood capillaries (VERY high oxygen demand, with VERY high priority)
53
Q

What is the name given to the connections between cardiac muscle cells?

A

Intercalated discs

54
Q

Approximately what volume of cardiac muscle consists of mitochondria? How do they store energy for these mitochondria?

A

25%. Stored in large amounts of glycogen.

55
Q

What is the difference between endomysium and perimysium?

A

Dense connective tissue in the heart
Endomysium: supports individual myocytes
Perimysium: envelops groups of myocytes

56
Q

Is endocardium thicker in atria or ventricles?

A
  • Thicker in atria
  • Thinner in ventricles (which have more muscle instead)
57
Q

What are the three sublayers of the endocardium? (inside to outside)

A
  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
Q

What is the name given to structures that are present within the endocardium of the heart?

A

Subendocardial structures

59
Q

What are purkinje fibres? What do they contain? Why is this important? How do they look in histological stainings?

A
  • 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
Q

What is the cardiac skeleton? Where is it located?

A
  • 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
Q

Does the cardiac skeleton extend into the leaflets of cardiac valves?

A

Yes. yes it does.

62
Q

What is the dense core of heart valves called?

63
Q

What is the fibrosa covered by?

A

fibroelastic CT and endothelium

Foundations Of Medicine (98 decks)

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