Great Vessels of the Heart Flashcards
What is the function of the great vessels of the heart?
Carry blood to and from the heart as it pumps, located largely within the middle mediastinum.
What are the great vessels of the heart?
- Aorta
- Pulmonary arteries
- Pulmonary veins
- Superior Vena Cava
- Inferior Vena Cava
What is the largest artery in the body?
Aorta - initially being an inch wide in diameter
What nerve innervates the aorta?
The aortic nerve which is a branch of the vagus nerve.
Where does the aorta receives cardiac output?
It receives the cardiac output from the left ventricle and supplies the body with oxygenated blood via the systemic circulation.
What are the four sections the aorta can be split into?
- Ascending aorta
- Aortic arch
- Thoracic (descending) aorta
- Abdominal aorta
What does the ascending aorta arise from?
The left ventricle and ascends to become the aortic arch
What does the ascending aorta branch off into?
The left and right aortic sinuses are dilations in the ascending aorta, located at the level of the aortic valve.
They give rise to the left and right coronary arteries that supply the myocardium.
Where does the aortic arch end?
The aortic arch ends at the level of the T4 vertebra.
The arch is still connected to the pulmonary trunk by the ligamentum arteriosum (remnant of the foetal ductus arteriosus).
What are the three branches of the aortic arch?
- Brachiocephalic trunk
- Left common carotid artery
- Left subclavian artery
In proximal to distal order
What does the brachiocephalic trunk do?
The first and largest branch that ascends laterally to split into the right common carotid and right subclavian arteries. These arteries supply the right side of the head and neck, and the right upper limb.
What does the left common carotid artery do?
The left common carotid artery is the second main branch and arises directly off the aorta.
The left and right carotid arteries carry blood and oxygen to the brain and head and face.
What complications can arise due to a blocked carotid artery?
Increase risk of stroke
What does the left subclavian artery do?
Supply blood to upper limbs
What do pulmonary arteries do?
The pulmonary arteries receive deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle and deliver it to the lungs for gas exchange to take place.
At what level does the pulmonary trunk split into L and R pulmonary arteries?
T5-T6
What pulmonary artery is thicker and longer?
The right pulmonary artery is the thicker and longer artery
What do pulmonary veins do?
The pulmonary veins receive oxygenated blood from the lungs, delivering it to the left side of the heart to be pumped back around the body.
How many pulmonary veins are there?
4, with one superior and one inferior for each of the lungs
Where do pulmonary veins enter the heart and what do they do?
They enter the pericardium to drain into the superior left atrium, on the posterior surface.
Where can the oblique pericardial sinus be found?
The oblique pericardial sinus can be found within the pericardium, between the left and right veins.
What do the superior and inferior pulmonary veins do?
The superior pulmonary veins return blood from the upper lobes of the lung, with the inferior veins returning blood from the lower lobes.
Where is the inferior left pulmonary vein found?
Hilum of lung
Where is the inferior right pulmonary vein found?
It runs posteriorly to the superior vena cava and the right atrium.
What does the superior vena cava do?
The superior vena cava receives deoxygenated blood from the upper body (superior to the diaphragm, excluding the lungs and heart), delivering it to the right atrium.
How is the superior vena cava formed?
It is formed by merging of the brachiocephalic veins, travelling inferiorly through the thoracic region until draining into the superior portion of the right atrium at the level of the 3rd rib.
What does the inferior vena cava do?
The inferior vena cava receives deoxygenated blood from the lower body (all structures inferior to the diaphragm), delivering it back to the heart.
How is the inferior vena cava formed?
It is initially formed in the pelvis by the common iliac veins joining together.
What level does the inferior vena cava enter the pericardium?
T8
What happens to the aorta after the arch?
After the arch of the aorta, the aorta then becomes the descending aorta which continues down through the diaphragm into the abdomen.
