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Heart Dissection

This document outlines the method for dissecting a heart to examine its internal and external structures. The method involves examining the external features of the heart first, including identifying the coronary arteries and left and right sides. Next, the internal structures are examined by feeling the thickness of the walls in the right and left ventricles and atria. Finally, cuts are made to further expose the internal chambers and valves, allowing comparison of the right and left sides of the heart and observation of how blood flows through.

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Neve Daly
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92 views2 pages

Heart Dissection

This document outlines the method for dissecting a heart to examine its internal and external structures. The method involves examining the external features of the heart first, including identifying the coronary arteries and left and right sides. Next, the internal structures are examined by feeling the thickness of the walls in the right and left ventricles and atria. Finally, cuts are made to further expose the internal chambers and valves, allowing comparison of the right and left sides of the heart and observation of how blood flows through.

Uploaded by

Neve Daly
Copyright
© © All Rights Reserved
We take content rights seriously. If you suspect this is your content, claim it here.
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Download as DOCX, PDF, TXT or read online on Scribd
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Aims: explore the function of a heart by examining the internal and external structures.

Method
Examining and dissecting the heart

1. Place the heart on the dissecting board or tray. Examine the outside of the heart, note the
coronary arteries (vessels that supply the heart muscle with blood), and identify the left and right
sides of the heart. A diagonal furrow on the surface of the heart indicates the divisions between the
right and left side

2. Use your fingers to feel the right side of the heart. Compare the thickness of the right and left
sides. The muscles in the wall of the left ventricle feel firm,
while those of the right ventricle feel soft and flabby. Feel the
muscle wall in the centre of the heart. This is called the
septum and separates the left and right side of the heart.

3. Locate the right and left atria on top of the ventricles and
compare their thickness. The walls of the atria look quite
different from those of the ventricles. Note the fat
surrounding the atria.

4. Locate the large blood vessels attached to the atria. The right atrium is connected to the body by
the large vein the vena cava and to the lungs by the pulmonary artery. The left atrium is connected
to the lungs by the pulmonary vein and to the body by the
aorta.

the vena cava, or if these are missing, the opening of the right
atrium and carefully push a dissecting probe through the
atrium into the ventricle. Using the probe as a guide insert the
rounded end of the dissecting scissors and cut down through
the wall of the atrium and right ventricle to the pointed end of
the heart. Keeping your cut about 1cm away from the furrow
marking the division between the right and left
6. Open out the heart to expose the right atrium and the opening between the atrium and ventricle.

7. Make a similar cut from the pulmonary veins or opening of the left atrium down into the left
ventricle. Again make your cut parallel to the furrow on the
outside of the heart. Note the ventricles will not fall open until
the strong fibrous cords linking the opposing walls are cut. Cut
these and open the ventricles

8. Compare the two sides of the heart. The right side of the heart
pumps deoxygenated blood to the lungs. The left side of the
heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to
the rest of the body. The walls on the right side are not as thick
as the left side because the blood does not have to be pumped
as far
9. Between the ventricles and the atria observe the valves, made up of parachute-like flaps. Each is
anchored to the ventricle walls by white tendons. The right atrioventricular valve is a tricuspid valve
(it has three cusps). The left atrioventricular valve is a bicuspid valve (it has two cusps). These valves
prevent blood flowing back into the atria.

10. Locate the openings of the aorta and the pulmonary arteries, high in the ventricles using a probe
or your fingers.

11. Identify the valves at these openings. These are called semi-lunar valves and prevent blood from
flowing backwards from the arteries

Record results by taking pictures of labelled anatomy of dissected heart


https://assist.asta.edu.au/sites/assist.asta.edu.au/files/SOP%20Performing%20a%20heart
%20dissection.pdf 2/4/22
https://www.biologycorner.com/anatomy/circulatory/heart/heart_dissection.html 2/4/22
https://pmt.physicsandmathstutor.com/download/Biology/A-level/Notes/AQA/Practical-Skills/RP
%2005%20-%20Dissection.pdf 4/4/22

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