preview

1. 1 : Describe The Anatomy Of The Heart

Better Essays

1. Describe the anatomy of the heart. Page 380

The heart is a triangular organ, shaped and sized roughly like a closed fist. It is located between the lungs in the lower part of the mediastinum, behind and slightly to the left of the sternum. The heart covering - the pericardium consists of two layers of fibrous tissue. The inner layer is the visceral pericardium and the outer is the parietal pericardium. The inner layer of the pericardium is attached to the heart muscle. The outer layer of the pericardium surrounds the heart's major blood vessels. A coating of fluid separates the two layers of membrane, letting the heart move as it beats. The heart has 4 hollow chambers. The upper chambers are called the left and right atria. The lower chambers are called the left and right ventricles. A wall of muscle called the septum separates the left and right atria and the left and right ventricles. The septum between the atria is called the interatrial septum and the septum between the ventricles is the interventricular septum. The atria are the receiving chambers because blood entre the heart through veins that open into these upper cavities. The ventricles are the discharging chambers from which blood is pumper from the heart into the arteries that exist from the ventricles.

The Heart has four valves that regulate blood flow through your heart. The two valves that separate the atria from the ventricles are the atrioventricular valves. The valve between the left atrium and

Get Access