Heart and Mediastinum Flashcards
What makes up the superior boundary of the mediastinum?
Thoracic inlet
What is the inferior boundary of the mediastinum?
Diaphragm
What makes up the anterior boundary of the mediastinum?
Sternum and costal cartilages
What makes up the posterior boundary of the mediastinum?
Thoracic vertebrae
What makes up the lateral boundary of the mediastinum?
Pleura
What divides the mediastinum into superior and inferior parts?
Horizontal line from the manubriosternal joint to the T4/T5 Intervertebral joint
What is the inferior Mediastinum divided into?
Anterior, middle, and posterior
What are the contents of the superior mediastinum?
Great vessels of the heart Thoracic duct (left) Part of the azygos system R&L vagus nerves (recurrent laryngeal nerves) Pulmonary Esophageal and cardiac autonomic nerve plexuses Thymus Parts of trachea and esophagus
What are the contents of the Inferior Anterior mediastinum?
Fat, lymph tissue, vessels, and in small children the thymus may extend into this region
What are the contents of the inferior middle mediastinum?
The heart and it’s pericardial tissues
What are the contents of the inferior posterior mediastinum?
Thoracic aorta esophagus pulmonary arteries & veins Azygos system Thoracic Duct Sympathetic trunk & thoracic splanchnic nerves
Which brachiocephalic vein is longer?
Left
Describe the thoracic sympathetic trunk
Bilateral; continuous with cervical and lumbar parts of sympathetic trunk
Paravertebral ganglia along its course
Lateral to the vertebral bodies
Describe thoracic splanchnic nerves
Bilateral; emerge from thoracic sympathetic trunks
Greater, lesser, least
All three are part of the abdomnopelvic splanchnic nerves and provide sympathetic innervation to viscera inferior to the diaphragm
All are PREsynaptic fibers that will synapse with prevertebral ganglia in abdomen
What are areas of constriction?
Arch of aorta, left main bronchus, and diaphragm.
These are where swallowed foreign objects are most likely to lodge and where a stricture may develop
What is the center of the cardiovascular system?
The heart
What does the heart connect to to transport blood between the heart and other body tissues?
Blood vessels
What are arteries?
Vessels that carry blood away from the heart
What are veins?
Vessels that carry blood back to the heart
What type of blood do arteries carry?
Blood high in oxygen except the pulmonary arteries
What type of blood do veins carry?
Blood in low oxygen except pulmonary veins
What are the great vessels?
The arteries and veins entering and leaving the heart
What does the structure of the heart ensure?
Ensures the unidirectional flow of blood through both the heart and the blood vessels
What is backflow of blood prevented by?
Valves within the heart
What does the heart act like?
Acts like two independent, side-by-side pumps that work independently but at the same rate
What does the right heart pump do?
Directs blood to the lungs for gas exchange
What does the left heart pump do?
Directs blood to body tissues for nutrient delivery
How is blood pressure developed?
Through alternate cycles of heart wall contraction and relaxation
How much blood pressure is essential to push blood through blood vessels to the body tissues for nutrient and waste exchange?
Minimum blood pressure
What is the base of the heart?
Left atrium primarily
Thinking about pulmonary circulation, the “systemic” pathway of this circuit involves which parts of the heart?
Left atrium and pulmonary veins: the start of the systemic circulation that has oxygenated blood that will go to the body
What does the pulmonary circuit consists of?
The chambers on the right side of the heart (right atrium and ventricle) as well as the pulmonary arteries and veins
What is the main function of the pulmonary circuit?
Convey blood to the lungs via pulmonary arteries to reduce carbon dioxide and replenish oxygen levels in the blood before returning to the heart in pulmonary veins
When does blood first enter the systemic circuit?
When blood returns to the left side of the heart
What does the systemic circuit consists of?
Chambers on the left side of the heart along with all the other named blood vessels
What is the main function of the systemic circuit?
Carries blood to all the peripheral organs and tissues of the body
What is the largest systemic artery in the body?
The aorta
Where does gas exchange occur?
Capillaries
Where do most veins merge and drain into?
The superior and inferior vena cavae
Thinking about position of the heart in the mediastinum, which of the following heart structures is located more posteriorly, and makes up most of what is called the "base" of the heart? A. Right atrium B. Right ventricle C. Left atrium D. Left ventricle
C. Left atrium
What is the approximate size of a heart?
The relatively small, conical organ is approximately the size of a person’s clenched fist and weighs about 250 to 350 grams
What is the heart’s position in the body?
Left of the body midline posterior to the sternum in the middle mediastinum
Rotated such that its right side or border is located more anteriorly, while its left side or border is located more posteriorly
Where is the superior part of the heart relative to the ribs?
At the third ribs
Where is the apex of the heart relative to the ribs?
At the six ribs
Where is the aortic arch relative to the ribs?
At the manubriosternal joint
What is the base of the heart?
The posterosuperior surface of the heart, formed primarily by the left atrium
What borders the base of the heart?
The pulmonary veins that enter the left atrium
What is the inferior, conical end of the heart?
Apex
Where does the apex project?
Slightly anteroinferiorly towards the left side of the body
The pericardium of the heart has three primary layers. If the pericardium of the heart is pierced by a needle, which of these primary layers would the needle first pass through? A. Visceral pericardium B. Pleural pericardium C. Parietal pericardium D. Fibrous pericardium E. Epicardium
D. Fibrous pericardium
What is the heart contained in?
A fibrous, serous sac held in place within the mediastinum by connective tissue that supports the great vessels’ external walls superior to the heart and the diaphragm inferior to it
What does the pericardium restrict?
Restricts heart movements so that it doesn’t bounce and move about in the thoracic cavity, and prevents the heart from overfilling with blood
What is the outer portion of the pericardium?
A tough, dense connective tissue layer called the fibrous pericardium that is attached to both the sternum and the diaphragm