Mediastinum and Heart Flashcards
What is the mediastinum?
it forms a mobile midline between the two lungs and their pleural cavities
All structures within the mediastinum are held together by what?
held loosely together by connective tissue
How is the mediastinum divided into superior and inferior divisions?
A line drawn from the junction of the manubrium and body of the sternum (sternal angle) posteriorly between the bodies of T4 and T5
The inferior mediastinum is further divided into what?
3 more divisions; anterior, middle, and posterior
What is the defining structure of the divisions of the inferior mediastinum?
the heart and its pericardial sac, as it lies within the middle division (can be seen from a lateral view)
Anterior mediastinum is between what?
the pericardial sac of the heart posteriorly and the posterior aspect of the sternum anteriorly
What does the anterior mediastinum containt?
- only fat, connective tissue and a few vessels in the adult
- before puberty it contained the thymus
Thymus funtion
T-Cell maturation
Posterior mediastinum is between what?
the posterior aspect of the pericardial sac and the anterior aspect of the vertebral column
All 3 portions of the inferior mediastinum are bounded inferiorly by the
diaphragm
Other important structures in the middle mediastinum besides the heart and pericardial sac?
-the ascending aorta(first part from the heart)
-pulmonary trunk (and its division into rt. and lt. pulmonary aa.),
-portions of the superior vena cava,
-pulmonary vv. as they enter the heart
-the termination of the azygos vein,
-the phrenic nn.
-the bifurcation of the trachea into lt. and rt. main
bronchi
What is the pericardium?
also called the pericardial sac, as two layers: outer tough fibrous and inner serous (slippery) layers
What is the fibrous pericardium
tough fibrous layer that restrains the heart during beating from
moving violently around the mediastinum
What does the fibrous pericardium fuse with
- superiorly: fuses with the adventitia (outer CT layers) of the great vessels leaving the heart and entering the superior mediastinum
inferiorly: with the central tendon of the diaphragm
The phrenic nerve is sandwiched between what
the mediastinal pleura and the outer aspect of the fibrous pericardium - along the lateral borders of the pericardial sac
Phrenic n. on both sides of the heart are accompanied by what?
tiny vessels -the pericardiophrenic br. of the internal thoracic a.
How does the fibrous pericardium prevent cardiac tamponade?
due to its unstretchable nature that prevents the accumulation of fluid from inflammation and bleeding from a rupture vessel/chamber letting blood flow into the pericardial sac
What is cardiac tamponade?
when extra fluid builds up in the space around the heart which impedes filling of the heart
What is the serous pericardium?
Separates the fibrous pericardium from the epicardium (surface of the heart)
Serous pericardium is also called what
The serous layer covering the posterior side of the fibrous pericardium is
referred to as the PARIETAL SEROUS PERICARDIUM
What is the visceral pericardium?
That portion reflected out onto the surface of the heart, at the roots of the great vessels
- also called the epicardium
- lies directly on surface of the heart
What is the pericardial cavity?
a potential space between the parietal serous pericardium and the visceral serous pericardium; it is filled with pericardial fluid
Removal of fluid from the sac is referred to as?
pericardial aspiration
What are the two pericardial sinuses?
transverse pericardial sinus and oblique pericardial sinus
transverse pericardial sinus
the serous pericardium extends up as separate sleeves over the superior vena cava on the right side, and the aorta and pulmonary trunk on the left which leaves a communication of the pericardial cavity between the two sleeves
oblique pericardial sinus
With the heart removed, you can also see that the sleeve of serous pericardium that enclosed the superior vena cava also encloses the openings of the inferior vena cava and the pulmonary veins; this irregular outline forms a blind-ending serous-lined cavity
What is the transverse pericardial sinus important for?
clinically important being used commonly for vessel ligation in heart surgery
How many circulatory systems and what are their names?
4; pulmonary circulation, coronary circulation, systemic circulation, hepatic portal system
What is pulmonary circulation?
-right ventricle pumps deoxygenated blood returned from the body to the right atrium to the lungs for oxygenation
The ___ and ___ of the lungs are a filter between right and left hearts
arteries and capillaries
What is coronary circulation?
The right. and left. coronary aa. arising from the aorta supply the myocardium of the heart with freshly oxygenated blood just returned from the lungs to
the left atrium and pumped out into the aorta via the left ventricle
The ___ and ___ of the body are a filter between left. and right hearts
arteries and capillaries
What is systemic circulation?
-Freshly oxygenated blood enters the aorta from the left ventricle under great
pressure to be pumped to all tissues of the body (including the tissue of the
lungs via the bronchial aa.)
-It is returned to the right atrium from the top and bottom portions of the body via the superior and inferior vena cava.
What do the superior and inferior vena cava do?
collect all the deoxygenated blood from the body, including lymphatic drainage and return it to the rt. atrium for reoxygenation via the pulmonary system
What is the hepatic portal system?
collects all venous blood returning from the tubular gastrointestinal tract (filled with ingested nutrients, etc.) and takes it to the liver (via the hepatic portal vein) for screening/metabolism prior to its entry back into the systemic system through the hepatic vein
While the heart looks like a single organ, it functions as what?
a pair of muscle pumps linked to each other by the pulmonary circulation
- The right pump is fed by venous return (superior and inferior vena cavae).
- The left pump empties into the aorta.
The vertical plane between left and right sides of the heart lies _____
in the body
obliquely
What is the result of the oblique orientation of the vertical plane of the heart?
the anterior (sternocostal) surface of the heart is composed almost entirely of the right ventricle while the posterior surface is mostly the left ventricle and atrium
What are the chambers of the heart?
- right side: right atrium and right ventricle
- left side: left atrium and left ventricle
The right atrium receives blow flow from where?
venous return from the body
Are there valves that restrict blood flow into or out of the right atrium?
No
Features of the right atrium include:
pectinate muscles, crista terminalis, interatrial septum, fossa ovalis, limbus of the fossa ovalis, opening of the coronary sinus, location of the atrioventricular node
What is the fossa ovalis?
represents the remnant of an embryonic valve connecting the 2 atria allowing blood to bypass the right ventricle (as it did not need to go to the lungs
while the fetus was in utero)
-This valve remains patent (open) to some degree in about 25% of adults but generally causes no significant problem
What is the right atrioventricular valve?
- also called the tricuspid valve;
- Blood flows from the right atrium into the right ventricle