ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

What Is the Heart? The heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. It is really nothing more than a pump, composed of muscle which pumps blood throughout the body. The heart pumps the blood, which carries all the vital materials which help our bodies function and removes the waste products that we do not need. The base is located on the 2nd ICS; points towards the right shoulder The apex is located on the 5th ICS; lateral to the sternum Midclavicular line; points toward left hip Functions of the heart -the heart generates BP -The heart routes blood through the systemic and pulmonary circulation -The pumping action of the valves of the heart ensures a one way flow of the blood through the heart and blood vessels. -the heart helps regulate blood supply to tissues

The Right Side of the Heart

The right system receives blood from the veins of the whole body. This is "used" blood, which is poor in oxygen and rich in carbon dioxide.

The right atrium is the first chamber that receives blood. The chamber expands as its muscles relax to fill with blood that has returned from the body. The blood enters a second muscular chamber called the right ventricle. The right ventricle is one of the heart's two major pumps. Its function is to pump the blood into the lungs. The lungs restore oxygen to the blood and exchange it with carbon dioxide, which is exhaled.

The Left Side of the Heart

The left system receives blood from the lungs. This blood is now oxygen rich.

The oxygen-rich blood returns through veins coming from the lungs (pulmonary veins) to the heart. It is received from the lungs in the left atrium, the first chamber on the left side. Here, it moves to the left ventricle, a powerful muscular chamber that pumps the blood back out to the body. The left ventricle is the strongest of the heart's pumps. Its thicker muscles need to perform contractions powerful enough to force the blood to all parts of the body. This strong contraction produces systolic blood pressure (the first and higher number in blood pressure measurement). The lower number (diastolic blood pressure) is measured when the left ventricle relaxes to refill with blood between beats. Blood leaves the heart through the ascending aorta, the major artery that feeds blood to the entire body.

PERICARDIUM -surrounds the heart and anchors it within the mediastinum -consist of: Fibrous- is the tough fibrous connective tissue layer -lined by the parietal pericardium Serous- inner layer of flat epithelium cells, with a thin layer of connective tissue Visceral pericardium (epicarduim)- portion covering the heart surface Parietal pericardium- the portion of the serous pericardium lining the fibrous pericardium *Pericardial fluid- produce by the serous pericardium -reduced friction as the heart moves within the pericardial sac EXTERNAL ANATOMY *Atria- separated by the coronary sulcus *Right and left ventricles- separated externally by the interventricular sulci *Anterior interventricular sulcus- extends inferiorly from the coronary sulcus on the anterior surface of the heart. *posterior interventricular sulcus- extends inferiorly from coronary sulcus on the posterior surface of the heart *superior and inferior vena cava- carry blood from the body to the right atrium. *Pulmonary veins- carry blood from lungs to left atrium. *Pulmonary trunk and aortaHEART CHAMBERS AND INTERNAL ANATOMY -the heart is muscular pump consisting of for chambers: 2 atrium and 2 ventricles *Right and left atria *Interatrial septum- separation between the 2 atria *Right and left ventricles *Interventricular septum- separation between the 2 ventricles *Interatriaventricular septum- whole separation

LAYERS OF THE HEART

1.) EPICARDIUM-thin serous membrane forming the smooth outer surface of the heart 2.) MYOCARDIUM-the thick middle layer of the heart, composed of cardiac muscle cells and is responsible for contractions of the heart chambers. 3.)ENDOCARDIUM-consists of simple squamous epithelium over a layer of connective tissue. HEART VALVES 1. AV VALVES located between the right atrium and the right ventricle and between the left atrium and left ventricle. -allow the blood to flow from atria into the ventricles but prevent it from flowing back into the atria. *tricuspid valve-composed of three leaflets *bicuspid(mitral)- composed of two leaflets *Chordae tendineae- strings of the leaflets -cardiac skeleton 2. SEMILUNAR Aortic and the pulmonary semilunar valves

HEART CHAMBERS:
Atria-upper chambers of the heart receive and collect blood. Ventricles-lower chambers of the heart pump blood out of your heart into the circulatory system to other parts of your body. BLOOD SUPPLY TO THE HEART CORONARY ARTERIES: originate from the base of the aorta just above the aortic semilunar valves. *LEFT CORONARY ARTERY-originates on the left side of the aorta 3 branches: 1.) Anterior interventricular artery -lies in the anterior interventricular sulcus 2.) Circumflex artery -extends around the coronary sulcus on the left to the posterior surface of the heart 3.) Left marginal artery -extends inferiorly along the lateral wall of the left ventricle from circumflex artery *RIGHT CORONARY ARTERY-originates on the right side of the aorta CARDIAC VEINS: drain blood from the cardiac muscle *coronary sinus-a large vein located within the coronary sulcus on the posterior aspect of the heart BLOOD FLOW Blood enters the right atrium of your heart from the superior and inferior vena cavae. From the right atrium, blood is pumped into the right ventricle. From the right ventricle, blood is pumped to your lungs through the pulmonary arteries. The oxygen-rich blood comes in from your lungs through the pulmonary veins into your heart's left atrium. From the left atrium, the blood is pumped into the left ventricle. The left ventricle pumps the blood to the rest of your body through the aorta.

CONDUCTION SYSTEM OF THE HEART Your heart's conduction system controls all the events that occur when your heart pumps blood. The electrical system also is called the cardiac electrical system. If you've ever seen the heart test called an ECG (electrocardiogram), you've seen a graphical picture of the heart's electrical activity. 1.)SA NODE , located in the right atrium of your heart 2.)AV NODE second area of the heart,located on the lower portion of the heart 3.)AV BUNDLE-bundle of specialized cardiac muscle 4.)PURKINJE FIBERS-pass to the apex of the heart and then extend to the cardiac muscle of the of the ventricle walls CARDIAC CYCLE -consist of 1 contraction and 1 relaxation -refers to the repetitive pumping process that begins with the onset of cardiac muscle contraction and ends with the beginning of the next contraction. *ATRIAL SYSTOLE-refers to the contraction of the 2 atria * VENTRICULAR SYSTOLE- refers to the contraction of the 2 ventricle *ATRIAL DIASTOLE-refers to the relaxation of the 2 atria *VENTRICULAR DIASTOLE-refers to the relaxation of the 2 ventricles Systole-secondary to AV valve closure Diastole-secondary to semi lunar valve closure REGULATION OF HEART FUNCTION Cardiac output-is the volume of blood pump by either ventricle of the heart each minute CO=Stroke volume X Heart rate Stroke volume-is the volume of blood pumped per ventricle each time the heart contracts. Heart rate-is the number times the heart contracts each minute INTRINSIC REGULATION OF THE HEART- refers to the mechanisms contained within the heart itself. *Venous return- is the amount of blood that returns to the heart *preload-the degree to which the ventricular walls are stretched at the end of the diastole *after load-refers to the pressure against which the ventricles must pump blood EXTRINSIC REGULATION OF THE HEART-refers to mechanisms external to the heart, such as either hormonal or nervous regulation. *cardio regulatory center-within the medulla oblongata of the brain, it receives and integrates action potentials from the baroreceptors *Baroreceptor reflex- maintained homeostasis in response to changes in BP.