Anatomy of the Heart

Question 1

What is the heart?

Answer 1

a muscular pump that maintains circulation of the blood through the vessels to all parts of the body

Question 2

What is the pericardium?

Answer 2

a loose nondistensible sac that encases the heart

Question 3

What are the layers of the pericardium?

Answer 3

fibrous pericardium
parietal serous pericardium
visceral serous pericardium

Question 4

What is the fibrous pericardium and what does it do?

Answer 4

the outermost layer of the pericardium. it protects and anchors the heart

Question 5

What is the parietal serous pericardium and what does it do?

Answer 5

the middle layer of the pericardium. it reduces frictional resistance

Question 6

What is the visceral serous pericardium and what does it do?

Answer 6

the innermost layer of the pericardium. it directly adheres to the heart and also called the epicardium

Question 7

What is cardiac tamponade?

Answer 7

abnormal fluid and/or blood accumulation in the pericardial space that may impede normal filling of the heart and hence compromise of cardiac output

Question 8

What are the three layers of the heart wall?

Answer 8

epicardium
myocardium
endocardium

Question 9

What is the epicardium?

Answer 9

the most superficial layer of the heart wall

Question 10

What is the myocardium?

Answer 10

the middle layer of the heart wall

Question 11

What is the endocardium?

Answer 11

the internal lining of the heart wall

Question 12

What are the four chambers of the heart?

Answer 12

two atria

two ventricles

Question 13

What separates the two atria from the two ventricles externally?

Answer 13

coronary sulcus

Question 14

What separates the two atria from each other externally?

Answer 14

roots of the aorta and pulmonary artery

Question 15

What separates the two ventricles from each other externally?

Answer 15

interventricular sulcus

Question 16

What separates the two atria from the ventricles internally?

Answer 16

fibroskeleton of the heart

Question 17

What separates the two atria from each other internally?

Answer 17

interatrial septum

Question 18

What separates the two ventricles from each other internally?

Answer 18

interventricular septum

Question 19

What does the fibroskeleton consist of?

Answer 19

fibrous rings (fibrous interventricular septum, right and left trigone, tendon of conus)

Question 20

What are the functions of the fibroskeleton?

Answer 20

• houses four cardiac valves
• serves as origin and point of insertion for atrial and ventricular bands of muscle
• electrically isolates atrial muscle bundles from ventricular muscle bundles

Question 21

Where is the right atrium?

Answer 21

positioned above the right ventricle. larger than the left and has a thinner wall

Question 22

What two parts of the right atrium make up the right cavity?

Answer 22

• major cavity (sinus venarum)

- minor cavity (right auricle)

Question 23

Where does the right atrium accept blood from?

Answer 23

• the superior vena cava
• the inferior vena cava
• the coronary sinus

Question 24

Where is the left atrium?

Answer 24

positioned about the left ventricle. smaller than the right and has a thicker wall

Question 25

What two parts of the left atrium make up the left cavity?

Answer 25

- major cavity of left atrium | - left auricle

Question 26

Where does the right ventricle receive venous blood from?

Answer 26

the right atrium though an opening called the right AV orifice

Question 27

What does the right AV orifice contain?

Answer 27

tricuspid valve

Question 28

How does blood exit the right ventricle?

Answer 28

passes into the pulmonary artery via an opening called the orifice of the pulmonary trunk

Question 29

What does the pulmonary orifice contain?

Answer 29

pulmonic semilunar valve

Question 30

Where does the left ventricle receive arterial blood from?

Answer 30

the left atrium through the left AV orifice

Question 31

What does the left AV orifice contain?

Answer 31

the bicuspid or mitral valve

Question 32

How does the blood exit the left ventricle?

Answer 32

from the cavity of the left ventricle into the root of the aorta by passing through the aortic opening