4. cardiovascular system Flashcards
(474 cards)
how is the heart orientated ?
towards the right at an angle and turned backwards towards the left
what is the pericardium?
a protective, fluid-filled sac that surrounds your heart and helps it function properly. Your pericardium also covers the roots of your major blood vessels as they extend from your heart.
what is intercostal space?
The space located between the ribs is called the intercostal space. Because there are 12 ribs on each side of the thorax, there are 11 intercostal spaces, which comprise intercostal muscles and membranes and neurovascular structures
what is the apex of the heart?
The apex of the heart is the very tip and helps pump or “wring out” blood from the ventricles to the rest of the body (LV apex) or the lungs (RV apex). It does this by helping regulate the right and left ventricles of the heart and allowing them to pump blood upward and out of the heart
the apex of the heart (tip of the cone) is at its bottom
at which intercostal space is the apex of the heart situated?
5th
describe what is found at the borders of the heart
superior border; great vessels enter/leave
inferior border; lies on diaphragm
right border; faces right lung
left border; faces left lung
sternum
a long flat bone located in the central part of the chest. It connects to the ribs via cartilage and forms the front of the rib cage, thus helping to protect the heart, lungs, and major blood vessels from injury.
what is the pericardium made of?
fibrous connective tissue
which side of the heart has a thicker wall?
left
thoracic cavity
a space inside your thorax (chest) that contains your heart, lungs and other organs and tissues.
*It’s the second biggest hollow space in your body, with only your abdominal cavity being larger
mediastinum
central compartment of the thoracic cavity.
contains; heart, great vessels, thymus, oesophagus, trachea
what is contained within the mediastinum?
- heart
- great vessels
- thymus
- oesophagus
- trachea
*central compartment of the thoracic cavity
thymus function
The thymus gland is in the chest, between the lungs and behind the breastbone or sternum. It is just in front of and above the heart. The thymus makes white blood cells called T lymphocytes. These are also called T cells. These are an important part of the body’s immune system, which helps to fight infection.
anterior landmarks of the heart
coronary sulcus
(marks division between atria and ventricles, continues posteriorly, RCA in sulcus anteriorly)
anterior interventricular sulcus
(marks division between ventricles, continues posteriorly as posterior interventricular sulcus, LAD from LCA in sulcus anteriorly)
auricles
(atrial appendages, increase capacity)
LCA= left coronary artery
LAD= left anterior descending artery
what are auricles?
atrial appendages (increase capacity)
The atria are the two upper chambers of the heart while the auricles are muscular pouches extending from the atria. The auricles increase the holding capacity of the atria when needed but are not considered part of the main heart chamber.
posterior landmarks
coronary sulcus
(marks division between atria and ventricles, continues anteriorly, coronary sinus in sulcus)
posterior interventricular sulcus
(marks division between ventricles, continues anteriorly as anterior interventricular sulcus, PDA from LCA or RCA in sulcus)
LCA/RCA= left/right coronary artery
PDA= posterior descending artery
PDA
posterior descending artery
The posterior descending artery (PDA) is also known as the posterior interventricular artery because it runs along the posterior interventricular sulcus to the apex of the heart. It is at the apex where it meets the left anterior descending artery traveling along the heart’s anterior surface.
*can arise from right/left/both; depends on individual
LAD
left anterior descending artery
The left anterior descending artery branches off the left coronary artery and supplies blood to the front of the left side of the heart. The circumflex artery branches off the left coronary artery and encircles the heart muscle. This artery supplies blood to the outer side and back of the heart.
layers of the heart
pericardium + heart wall
pericardium
- fibrous (tough and inelastic, rests on/attached to diaphragm, open end fused with great vessels)
- serous (parietal layer; fused to fibrous pericardium, visceral layer; continuous/part of epicardium, pericardial cavity; space between parietal and visceral layers contains pericardial fluid)
heart wall
outer- epicardium; visceral serous pericardium
middle- myocardium; cardiac muscle
inner- endocardium; continuous with endothelium of large vessels of heart
what are the two layers of the pericardium?
- fibrous
- tough and inelastic
- rests on/attached to diaphragm
- open end fused with great vessels - serous
- parietal layer; fused to fibrous pericardium
- visceral layer; continuous/part of epicardium
- pericardial cavity; space between parietal and visceral layers contains pericardial fluid
what are the characteristics of the fibrous layer of pericardium?
- tough and inelastic
- rests on/attached to diaphragm
- open end fused with great vessels
what are the sublayers of the serous layer of pericardium?
- parietal layer; fused to fibrous pericardium
- visceral layer; continuous/part of epicardium
*pericardial cavity; space between these layers containing pericardial fluid
what is the pericardial cavity?
the space between the parietal and visceral layers containing pericardial fluid
within the serous layer of the pericardium
where is pericardial fluid found?
in the pericardial cavity
space between parietal and visceral layers in the serous layer of the pericardium