Heart And Mediastinum Flashcards
What are the superior, inferior, anterior, posterior, and lateral boundaries of the mediastinum?
Superior: thoracic inlet
Inferior: diaphragm
Anterior: sternum and costal cartilages
Posterior: thoracic vertebrae
Lateral: pleura
Which of the following structure(s) is/are found in the middle part of the inferior mediastinum?
A) fat and lymph tissue B) cardiac and autonomic nerve plexuses C) the heart and its pericardial tissues D) the thoracic aorta E) thoracic splanchnic nerves
C
What is found in the superior area of the mediastinum?
-great heart vessels, thoracic duct, azygos system, vagus nerves, pulmonary, esophageal and cardiac autonomic plexuses, thymus, parts of trachea and esophagus
What is found in the inferior anterior of the mediastinum?
Fat, lymph tissue, vessels, in small children the thy,us may extend into this region
What can be found in the middle inferior portion of the mediastinum?
-the heart and its pericardial tissues
What can be found in the inferior posterior portion of the mediastinum?
-thoracic aorta, esophagus, pulmonary arteries and veins, azygos system, thoracic duct, sympathetic trunk and thoracic splanchnic nerves
Describe the sympathetic trunk relation to the mediastin.
- bilateral: continuous with the cervical and lumbar parts of the spinal cord
- paravertebral ganglia along its course
- lateral to vertebral bodies
Describe the thoracic splanchnic nerves in comparison to the mediastinum.
- bilateral: emerges from sympathetic trunks
- greater, lesser, least
- all three are part of the abdominopelvic splanchnic nerves and provide sympathetic innervation to the viscera inferior to the diaphragm
- all PREsynaptic fibers will synapse with prevertebral ganglia in abdomen
What are the areas where a swallowed foreign object will most likely lodge?
- areas of constriction
- arch of aorta
- left main bronchus
- diaphragm
What are the three more important venous structures in the mediastinum?
- accessory hemiazygous vein
- azygos vein
- hemiazygous vein
What are the functions of the heart?
- center f the cardiovascular system
- connects the blood vessels that transport blood between the heart and the other body tissues
What direction do arteries and veins transport blood? Which has more oxygen? What is the exception?
- arteries carry blood away from the heart, oxygenated blood
- veins carry blood to the heart, deoxygenated blood
- exception is the pulmonary arteries and veins
Arteries and veins entering and leaving the heart are called the _________________.
-great vessels
What are some characteristics of the heart?
- ensures unidirectional flow of blood
- back flow of blood is prevented by valves
- acts like two independent, side by side pumps that work independently but at the same rate
- develops bp
- min bp is essential to push blood through vessels to the body tissues
Where, anatomically, is the heart?
- size of a person’s fist
- located left of the body midline posterior to the sternum in the middle mediastinum
- right side is more anterior, left side is more posterior
The base of the heart is primarily formed by the?
A) right atrium B) left atrium C) right ventricle D) left ventricle E) coronary sinus
B
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
What is the function of the pericardium?
- restricts heart movements so that it doesn’t bounce and move around in the thoracic cavity
- prevents heart from overfilling with blood
What are the layers of the pericardium from the outermost to the inner most?
- fibrous pericardium
- parietal layer
- visceral layer
What are the three layers of heart wall?
- external epicardium
- middle myocardium
- internal endocardium