Thorax Flashcards
What shape is the thorax?
Conical
Smaller at the top and wider at the base
Where is the superior thoracic aperture located?
In the root of the neck
What are does the thorax cover?
From the sternum to the vertebral column (T1 to T12)
What is the central portion of the thorax called?
The mediastinum
What does the thorax contain?
Heart, lungs, pleura, blood vessels nerves
Where is the inferior thoracic aperture?
Sits on the diaphragm
What does the diaphragm separate?
The thorax from the abdomen
Where do you place your hands for chest compressions when carrying out CPR?
On the xiphoid process of the sternum
What are the 3 different parts of the sternum?
Manubrium, body of sternum, xiphoid process
Which rib is the sternal angle located? at?
2nd rib
Which ribs are termed ‘true ribs’?
Ribs 1-7
Contain costal cartilage
Describe ‘true ribs’
Ribs 1-7
Contain costal cartilage that joins onto the manubrium, the body of sternum and the xiphoid process
Which ribs are termed ‘false ribs’?
Ribs 8-10
Hook onto other parts of the costal cartilage
Which ribs are termed ‘floating ribs’?
Ribs 11-12
Don’t join onto any costal cartilage
What are the 3 compartments of the thorax?
Right and left pleural cavities and the mediastinum
If you damage ribs 11-12, which organ could rupture?
The spleen
Which great vessels are present in the thorax?
Venae cava
Pulmonary trunk and main branches
Pulmonary veins
Aorta
What is the first branch of the aorta and what does it supply?
The coronary arteries
Supply the heart
What does the left (external) common carotid artery supply?
The face
What does the right (internal) common carotid artery supply?
80% of brain blood supply
What is the first branch of the arch of aorta called?
The brachio-cephalic trunk
What type of blood do pulmonary arteries contain?
Deoxygenated
Which vein drains the head and neck?
Internal jugular vein
Where do the superior and inferior vena cava drain?
Right atrium
Where does the pulmonary vein drain?
Left atrium
Where is the sympathetic trunk located in the thorax?
Back of our chest
What is the diaphragm?
A big skeletal muscle
Musculotendinous structure
What shape is the diaphragm?
Dome shaped
Higher on the right than the left due to the position of the liver
Which nerve supplies the diaphragm?
Cervical 3,4,5
What type of nerve fibres does the phrenic nerve contain?
Motor and sensory
Describe the shape of the diaphragm on inspiration and expiration
- On inspiration, the muscle flattens to increase the capacity of the thoracic cavity
- On expiration, the muscle returns to its dome shape
How is air expelled from the lungs?
Diaphragm relaxes
Elastic recoil of the lungs
Why does the aorta not pass through the diaphragm?
It would get squashed
