CARDIAC ANATOMY Flashcards
Where is the septo marginal trabecula located?
Right ventricle
The “moderator band” is important because it carries part of the right bundle branch of the AV bundle of the conduction system of the heart to the anterior papillary muscle. This shortcut across the chamber of the ventricle seems to facilitate conduction time, allowing coordinated contraction of the anterior papillary muscle.
What are the contents of the middle mediastinum?
- Heart
- Great blood vessels
Why can the mediastinum accommodate movement and volume changes?
due to the looseness of the connective tissue, combined with the elasticity of the lungs and pleura
What does the pericardium enclose?
heart and roots of great vessels
Layers of the pericardium:
- Outer fibrous layer (fibrous pericardium)
-
Inner double layered sac (serous pericardium):
- Parietal pericardium (outer layer)
- Visceral pericardium (inside layer) AKA epicardium
Outer fibrous layer of the pericardium attaches to:
- Outer layer of the great vessels
- Central tendon of the diaphragm
Function and contents of the pericardial cavity:
- Contains a thin layer of serous fluid.
- Allows the heart to beat in a frictionless environment
Innervation of the parietal pericardium:
phrenic nerve
innervation of the visceral pericardium
no innervation, insensitive to pain
Inflammation of the pericardium:
presentation?
- Pericarditis
- Presents as substernal pain and can result in pericardial effusion
- Pericardial rub (auscultation)
Location of the heart
2/3 to the left of the median plane
within the pericardial sac
Where is the apex of the heart found?
- Most inferior portion of the heart
- 5th intercostal space
- midclavicular line in supine
where is the point of maximun impulse located?
in the apex of the heart
(5th intercostal space)
what is the point of maximal impulse?
Apex of the heart, is where the cardiac impulse can be best palpated on the chest wall. Frequently, this is at the 5th intercostal space
What structure of the heart forms the apex?
tip of the left ventricle
What structure of the heart forms the base?
2 atria
where is the base of the heart located?
- The most superior portion of the heart
- 2nd intercostal space
Aorta and pulmonary trunk exit and the superior vena cava enters the heart here:
Base of the heart (most superior portion)
2nd intercostal space
layers of the heart
- Epicardium AKA visceral pericardium
- Myocardium
- Endocardium
What is the shape of the R and L ventricles?
- R ventricle = crescent shaped
- L ventricle = conical in shape
Myocardial cells are grouped in to 2 structural categories:
- Mechanical cells (myocytes)
- Conductive cells
The metabolic processes of the myocardium are almost exclusively…
aerobic
Intercalated disks join myocytes (mechanical cells) together to form a
syncytium
what make up the 2 syncytiums of the heart?
the atria and ventricles
4 Properties of myocardial cells:
-
Automaticity: Ability to initiate own depolarization, to contract in the absence of stimuli, w/o direct
stimulation needed from a nerve - Rhythmicity: Ability to contract in a regular, rhythmic manner
- Conductivity: Ability to spread impulses to adjoining cells quickly
- Excitability: The cells transmit nerve impulses
Can myocardial cells replace injured cells?
NO
receives blood from the veins of the heart and delivers it to the right atrium
Coronary sinus
where is the coronary sinus located?
Coronary sulcus or groove (aka: atrioventricular sulcus/groove)
what is in the coronary sulcus?
the coronary sinus
what runs over the anterior interventricular sulcus?
blood vessels and fat
what is the cardiac skeleton made of?
anulus fibrosus (fibrocartilaginous tissue)
what is the function of the anulus fibrosus?
- Separates the atria from the ventricles
- Acts as electrical insulator between atria and ventricles so impulses only move through the AV node
what acts as electrical insulator between atria and ventricles so impulses only move through the AV node?
anulus fibrosus
5 types of WBC:
- neutrophils
- eosinophils
- basophils
- monocytes
- lymphocytes
leukocytes AKA
WBC
erythrocytes AKA
Red blood cells (RBC)
What is the plasma of the blood made of?
- Suspends RBC, WBC, and platelets
- Has gases, salts, carbohydrates, proteins, and lipids
Pulmonary arterial pressure is ______ that of systemic pressures
1/6th
Where is the SA node located?
Right atrium
what is the fossa ovale and where is it located?
- On the right atrium
- During fetal development, the foramen ovale allows blood to pass from the right atrium to the left atrium, bypassing the nonfunctional fetal lungs while the fetus obtains its oxygen from the placenta.
what is the main concern with atrial septal defect
can overflow the pulmonary system
Normal filling pressure of the right atrium AKA central venous pressure (CVP)
0 - 8 mmHg
Parallel muscle bundles that compose the inner wall of the right atrium – “comb like”
pectinate muscles
true or false: orthotopic heart transplants usually involve the excision of the RA (LA and great vessels are left in place) and the donor’s heart is then attached to the RA
true
right atrioventricular valve AKA
composed of:
- TRICUSPID VALVE
- Composed of 3 cusps/leaflets: anterior, posterior and septal (medial)
- These are thinner than those of the mitral valve
AV valves system of structures:
- from the wall of ventricle:
- Trabeculae carneae (aka: Rathke’s bundles)
- Papillary muscles
- Chordae tendineae
- Valve leaflets/cusps
- Valvular orifice surrounded by an annulus
Normal systolic pressure in the right ventricle = ?
End diastolic pressure = ?
- right ventricle = 15-28 mm Hg
- 0-8 mm Hg
which is the thickest layer in the veins?
How about in the arteries?
- Veins: tunica adventitia or externa
- Arteries: tunica media
In the right ventricle, resistance of pulmonary circulation is about ____ that of systemic circulation
1/10th
the right ventricle generates less than ____ the stroke work of the left ventricle
¼
right semilunar valve AKA
PULMONARY VALVE
left semilunar valve AKA
AORTIC VALVE
how many leaflets/cusps do the semilunar valves have?
3
true or false, semilunar valves open and close solely based on pressure gradient changes in the heart during the cardiac cycle
true
what is the location of the right semilunar valve?
3rd costal cartilage to the left of the sternum
(AKA pulmonary valve)
Contraction of the right ventricle pushes blood through the ________ into the pulmonary trunk
pulmonary valve
or right semilunar valve
the left atrium collects blood from where?
the right and left pulmonary veins
oxygenated blood
What represents the original heart tube and serves no function
Auricular appendage (or “dog ear”)
Blood flows through the left ______ into the left ventricle
AV orifice (mitral valve)
what is the normal filling pressure of the left atrium?
4-12 mm Hg
Forms most of the posterior surface of the heart
left atrium
Collects blood from right and left pulmonary veins:
– Carry oxygenated blood from the lungs
left atrium
Walls of the left atrium are slightly thicker than right atrium, why?
the left atrium does more work against the resistance of the sistemic circulation
In certain cardiac conditions (ex:
atrial fibrillation) a ________ can form on the wall of the left atrium and if it breaks off, it can travel to and occlude peripheral arteries (an occlusion of the artery of the brain can result in a stroke)
thrombus
Mitral Valve AKA
Left AV Valve
AKA bicuspid valve
what guards the opening between the left atrium and the left ventricle
mitral valve AKA left AV valve AKA bicuspid valve
the physician is listening with the stethoscope situated in 5th intercostal space and midline of the clavicle:
Mitral valve AKA bicuspid valve
where is the mitral valve (bicuspid valve) located?
Situated posterior to sternum at level of 4th left costal cartilage
which is the most frequently diseased valve in the heart?
Mitral Valve
what is Mitral Valve Insufficiency?
- Mitral insufficiency (MI), mitral regurgitation or mitral incompetence is a disorder of the heart in which the mitral valve does not close properly when the heart pumps out blood.
- It is the abnormal leaking of blood backwards from the left ventricle, through the mitral valve, into the left atrium, when the left ventricle contracts, i.e. there is regurgitation of blood back into the left atrium.
- MI is the most common form of valvular heart disease
Mitral Valve Prolapse:
displacement of an abnormally thickened mitral valve leaflet into the left atrium during systole