DESCRIBE THE FORM AND NAME THE CHAMBERS

AND VALVES OF THE HEART. DEFINE THE

PERICARDIUM. NAME AND DESCRIBE BRIEFLY THE
VENAE CAVAE, PULMONARY VEINS, PULMONARY
TRUNK AND AORTA.
SVC and VC Right Atrium Tricuspid (AV) Valve Right Ventricle Pulmonary valve
(semilunar) Pulmonary trunk LUNGS Pulmonary Veins Left atrium Mitral valve
(bicuspid) Left Ventricle Aortic Valve (semilunar) Aorta


The pericardium is a double walled fibroserous sac which encloses the heart and roots of the
great vessels.
The fibrous pericardium (outer layer) protects the heart from sudden overfilling as it is
unyielding.
Pericardial cavity is the potential space between the parietal pericardium which lines the
fibrous pericardium and the serous pericardium which forms the epicardium of the heart.
- Contains a thin layer of serous fluid which allows the hart to beat in a
frictionless environment.

There are 2 venae cavae
- Superior drains the upper trunk, head and limbs
- Both empty into the right atrium
There are 4 pulmonary veins which empty into the left ventricle
The pulmonary trunk leaves the right atrium to supply the pulmonary circulation with
deoxygenated blood
The aorta leaves the left ventricle to supply the body and heart.












DESCRIBE THE RIGHT VENTRICLE,
INTERVENTRICULAR SEPTUM AND THE TRICUSPID
AND PULMONARY VALVES.
The right ventricle forms the largest part of the anterior surface of the heart
- nterior has irregular muscular projections called trabeculae carnae
O Roughen out the smooth surface of the hear to prevent suction
which would hinder blood flow.
Right AV orifice is surrounded by a fibrocollagenous ring (part of the fibrous skeleton of the
heart) Resists dilatation.
The wall of the right ventricle is thinner than that of the left.

The tricuspid (atrioventicular) valve guards the right AV orifice
O Posterior to the sternum at the level of the 4
th
and 5
th
intercostals spaces.
O Bases of the cusps attach to the fibrous ring
O Chordae tendinae (tendinous cords) attach to the free edges and ventricular surfaces
of the cusps.
4 Like cords to a parachute.
O Papillary muscles attach to chordate tendinae and the ventricular wall
4 Begin contraction before the ventricular wall
4 Bring cusps together
4 Prevents prolapsed of cusps into atrium with systolic pressure of ventricular
contraction.
The Pulmonary (semilunar) valve is at the level of the 3
rd
costal cartilage
- 3 Cusps

The interventricular septum is a stong, obliquely placed partition with membranous and
muscular parts between the right and left ventricles forming part of the walls of each.
O Contains the moderator band
O Carries part of the right bundle branch
4 Shortcut to the papillary muscles



CuLllne Lhe hlsLologlcal feaLures of
cardlac muscle and Lhe funcLlonlng
of Lhe conducLlng sysLem of Lhe
hearL

very baslc whaL you would see lf you looked down a mlcroscope

O ardlac cells are branched cyllnders 83100 mlcromeLres long and 13
mlcromeLres wlde wlLh a slngle cenLrally locaLed nucleus
O orm of sLrlaLed muscle
O lffers from skeleLal musclehave an arrangemenL of acLln and myosln
O They are mononuclear and much shorter than skeletal muscles
O ong cardiac muscle Iibres are produced by linking numerous cardiac
muscle cells end to end via anchoring type cell junctions
O They do not have stem cell properties and so regeneration and renewal
cannot occur.
O
Cardiac muscle:





Conducting system, what we talked about in the slides, i.e. SA node, AV node
involvement oI Purkinje Iibres, Bundle oI His etc