Heart and mediastinum Flashcards
The sternal angle is between T___ and T___
T4 and T5
What is the superior boundary of the mediastinum
Thoracic inlet
What is the inferior boundary of the mediastinum
Diaphragm
What is the anterior boundary of the mediastinum
Sternum and costal cartilages
What is the posterior boundary of the mediastinum
Thoracic vertebrae
What is the lateral boundary of the mediastinum
Pleura
What are the cavities in the thoracic cavity
- mediastinum
- pleural cavity
- Pericardial cavity
What are the cavities that make up the abdominopelvic cavity
- Abdominal cavity
- Pelvic cavity
Contents o the superior mediastinum
Great vessels of the heart, thoracic ducts (left), parts of azygos system, Right and left vagus nerves (recurrent laryngeal nerves), pulmonary, esophageal and cardiac autonomic nerve plexuses, thymus, parts of trachea and esophagus
Contents of infero-anterior mediastinum
Fat, lymph tissue, vessels, in small children thymus may extend into this region
Contents of infero-middle mediastinum
The heart and it’s pericardial tissues
Contents of infero-posterior mediastinum
Thoracic aorta, esophagus, pulmonary arteries and veins, azygos system, thoracic duct, sympathetic trunk and thoracic splanchnic nerves
The thoracic splanchnic nerves are in the _____ portion of the mediastinum. They are bilateral and emerge from the ____-
Inferoposterior, emerge from thoracic sympathetic trunks
All three of the thoracic splanchnic nerves (Greater, Lesser, Least) are part of the abdomnopelvic splanchnic nerves and provide _______ to ______
Sympathetic innervation to viscera inferior to the diaphragm
The thoracic splanchnic nerves are all presynaptic that will synapse with _________ in abdomen
Prevertebral ganglia in abdomen
What are the areas of constriction where swallowed foreign objects are most likely to lodge and where a stricture may develop
At the arch of the aorta, left main bronchus, and diaphragm (note that this is the Esophageal hiatus, which is where the diaphragm has an opening for esophagus to pass through)
___ is the center of the cardiovascular system
Heart
____ carry blood away from the heart
arteries
_____ carry blood back to the heart
veins
Arteries and veins entering and leaving the heart are called the
great vessels
The heart ensures the _____ flow of blood through both the heart and the blood vessels
unidirectional
back flow of blood in the heart is prevented by ____ in the heart
valves
The heart acts like ____ independent, side- by-side pumps that work independently but at the same rate. What are they
- 2
- one directs blood to the lungs for gas exchange (pulmonary circulation)
- One that directs blood to body tissues for nutrient delivery (systemic circulation)
The heart develops ____ through alternate cycles of heart wall contraction and relaxation
- blood pressure
____ is essential to push blood through blood vessels to the body tissues for nutrient and waste exchange
Minimum blood pressure
_______ consists of the chambers on the right side of the heart (right atrium and ventricle) as well as the pulmonary arteries and veins
Pulmonary circuit
_____ consists of the chambers on the left side of the heart (left atrium and ventricle), along with all the other named blood vessels
Systemic circuit
Oxygenated blood form the left side of the heart is pumped into the _____, the larges systemic artery in the body, and then into smaller systemic arteries
aorta
Gas exchange in tissues occurs from ____
capillaries
Most veins merge and drain into the __________, which drain blood into the right atrium
superior and inferior venae cavae
The heart weighs about ____ to ___ grams
250 to 350
The heart is located ____ of the body midline posterior to the sternum in the ____ mediastinum
left, middle
The heart is rotated such that its ____ side or border (_________) is located more anteriorly, while its ______ side or border (_______) is located more posteriorly
- Right side or border (right atrium and ventricle)
- Left side or border (left atrium and ventricle)
The posterosuperior surface of the heart, formed primarily by the _____, is called the base
left atrium
The inferior, conical end of the heart is called the ____
apex
The apex projects slightly _____ toward the ______
anterioinferiorly toward the left side of the body
The _____ that enter the left atrium border this base
pulmonary veins
The pericardium has how many layers and what are they
- 3 (visceral, parietal, fibrous)
The heart is contained in a ____, ____ sac held in place within the mediastinum by connective tissue that supports the great vessels’ external walls superior to the heart and diaphragm inferior to it
fibrous, serous
The pericardium functions
restricts heart movements so that it doesn’t bounce and move about in the thoracic cavity, and prevents the heart form overfilling with blood
The outer portion of the pericardium is a tough, dense connective tissue layer called the _____
fibrous pericardium
The fibrous pericardium is attached to both the ___ and ____
sternum and diaphragm
The inner portion of the pericardium is a thin, double-layered serous membrane called the
serous pericardium
The serous pericardium is made up of what two parts
- Parietal layer
- Visceral layer