Anatomy (Cardiorespiratory)

Question 1

What is the thoracic cavity?

Answer 1

The thoracic cavity is continuous with the neck via the superior thoracic aperture but is separated from the abdominal cavity by the diaphragm

Question 2

What is the trachea?

Answer 2

Windpipe, which passes from the neck to the thorax

Question 3

What is the oesophagus?

Answer 3

Carries swallowed food and fluid to the stomach; it
passes from the neck, into the thorax and through the diaphragm

Question 4

What is the thoracic cage?

Answer 4

Rib cage

The bony skeleton of the thorax. It is semi-rigid and moves with breathing to allow the lungs to expand

Question 5

What is the function of the thoracic cage?

Answer 5

● protects the thoracic (and some abdominal) viscera
● provides an attachment for the muscles of breathing and muscles that move the
upper limb
● is composed of the sternum (breastbone), 12 pairs of ribs and the thoracic
vertebrae.

Question 6

Where is the sternum?

Answer 6

Lies anteriorly in the midline of the thoracic cage

Question 7

What is the sternum composed of?

Answer 7

● manubrium – the superior part
● body – inferior to the manubrium
● xiphoid process (or xiphisternum) – inferior to the body

Question 8

What is the suprasternal (jugular) notch?

Answer 8

Notch in the superior border of the manubrium

Question 9

What does the manubrium articulate with?

Answer 9

Laterally, the manubrium articulates with the clavicle (collarbone) at the sternoclavicular joint

Question 10

Where do the manubrium and body of sternum articulate?

Answer 10

The manubrium and body of the sternum articulate with each other at the manubriosternal joint, also known as the sternal angle (or the ‘angle of Louis’)

Question 11

What are the anterior parts of the ribs composed of?

Answer 11

Costal cartilage (costal = relating to the ribs).
This gives the thoracic cage some ‘springiness’

Question 12

Where do the ribs articulate with their costal cartilages?

Answer 12

At costochondral joints

Question 13

Where do the costal cartilages of the upper ribs articulate with the sternum?

Answer 13

At sternocostal joints

Question 14

Where do the ribs articulate posteriorly with the thoracic vertebrae?

Answer 14

At costovertebral joints

Question 15

Where are intercostal muscles found and what do they do?

Answer 15

Intercostal muscles lie in the intercostal spaces between the ribs and move the thorax for breathing

Question 16

How many thoracic vertebrae are there?

Answer 16

12
They lie posteriorly in the midline of the thoracic cage

Question 17

What do the thoracic vertebrae articulate with?

Answer 17

They articulate with each other at intervertebral joints and with the posterior parts of the ribs at costovertebral joints

Question 18

What type of muscle if the heart composed of?

Answer 18

Specialised smooth muscle

Question 19

What do the specialised nerve cells and fibres in the heart do?

Answer 19

Spontaneously generate and conduct the electrical activity that stimulates contraction of the myocardium (heart muscle)

Question 20

What do nerves under autonomic control do?

Answer 20

Sympathetic stimulation increases the heart rate

Question 21

What do nerves under parasympathetic control do?

Answer 21

Parasympathetic stimulation decreases the heart rate

Question 22

How many chambers does the heart have?

Answer 22

4
Right and left atria, and right and left ventricle

Question 23

Why do ventricles have thicker walls than atria.

Answer 23

The ventricles are the pumping chambers.
Their contraction generates high pressures to propel blood out of them

Question 24

What do valves do?

Answer 24

Ensure that blood flows only in one direction through the heart and cannot flow backwards

Question 25

What are the two different types of valves in the heart?

Answer 25

● Atrioventricular valves lie between the atria and ventricles (the tricuspid valve on the right and the mitral valve on the left). ● Semilunar valves lie between the ventricles and the large blood vessels that carry blood from them (the pulmonary valve at the entrance to the pulmonary trunk and the aortic valve at the entrance to the aorta).

Question 26

What is the myocardium supplied with?

Answer 26

Blood by the coronary arteries

Question 27

What is cardiopulmonary circulation?

Answer 27

The circulation between the heart and lungs. In the cardiopulmonary circulation, arteries carry deoxygenated blood and veins carry oxygenated blood Systemic circulation is the opposite

Question 28

What are the different between the functions of veins and arteries in the heart?

Answer 28

Veins carry blood towards the heart and arteries carry blood away from it – this is true for both the systemic and cardiopulmonary circulations

Question 29

What are the lungs?

Answer 29

Spongy organs within which gas exchange takes place

Question 30

What is the alveoli?

Answer 30

Microscopic air sacs in each lung Each adult lung contains approximately 300 million alveoli, depending on size.

Question 31

How many lobes do each lung have?

Answer 31

● The right lung has three lobes – a superior (upper), middle and inferior (lower) lobe. ● The left lung has two lobes - an upper and a lower lobe

Question 32

What separates the lobes in lungs?

Answer 32

Fissures

Question 33

What is each lung served by?

Answer 33

● One pulmonary artery (carrying deoxygenated blood into the lung from the right ventricle). ● Two pulmonary veins (carrying oxygenated blood from the lung into the left atrium). ● One main bronchus (carrying air between the lung and the trachea).

Question 34

What is the bronchial tree?

Answer 34

The bronchial tree describes the branching system of tubes that conduct air into and out of the lungs.

Question 35

What do the walls of the trachea and bronchi contain?

Answer 35

Contains smooth muscle and cartilage The cartilage acts as a scaffold and ensures that the trachea and bronchi remain open

Question 36

What do the walls of the bronchioles contain?

Answer 36

Only smooth muscle. The smooth muscle can contract or relax; this is under autonomic control.

Question 37

What is bronchoconstriction?

Answer 37

Parasympathetic stimulation narrows the bronchioles

Question 38

What is bronchodilation?

Answer 38

Sympathetic stimulation opens the bronchioles

Question 39

What is surface anatomy?

Answer 39

Surface anatomy describes the study of anatomical structures by looking, feeling, and listening