HEART

• Function, Location and Size of the heart:

heart
• The heart is a hollow muscular organ, it is primary
function is to pump and force blood through the
blood vessels of the heart.
• The adult heart is about the size of a closed fist, and
weighs less than 1 pound.
• The heart site in the chest within the mediastinum
between the two lungs. Two third of the heart is
located to the left of the midline of the sternum.
• The upper of the heart (base) is located at the level
of the second rib.
• The lower part (apex) is located at the level of the
fifth inter costal space.
• The heart is surrounded by the pericardium.
• The heart layers and coverings:
• The heart is made up of three layers of tissue
• The endocardium is the heart's innermost layer.
• The endocardium also lines the valves and is
continuous with the blood vessels that enter and
leave the heart.
• The myocardium is the middle layer of the heart. It
is the thickest of the three layers. The myocardium
is composed of cardiac muscle that contracts and
pumps blood through the blood vessels
• The epicardium is the thin, outermost layer of the
heart. The epicardium also helps forms the
pericardium.
• The heart is supported by a structure called
• the pericardium.
• The pericardium attaches the heart to surrounding
structures, such as the diaphragm.
• The pericardium has three layers. The innermost layer
(closest to the heart) is the epicardium,
epicardium also called the
visceral pericardium. At the base of the heart, the visceral
pericardium folds back and becomes the parietal
pericardium. The parietal pericardium attaches to the outer
fibrous pericardium that anchors the heart to its
surrounding structures. Between the visceral pericardium
and parietal pericardium is a space called the pericardial
space,
space or pericardial cavity.
cavity The pericardial membranes are
serous membranes that secrete a small amount of serous
fluid (10 to 30 ml) into the pericardial space.
• The Heart’s Layers and coverings
• A Double pump and two circulation
• The heart is a double pump that beats as one
• The pumps are
• The right heart
• The left heart
• The right heart receives unoxygenated blood from the
superior and inferior venae cavae.
• The right heart pumps blood to the lungs.
• The path that the blood follows from the right side of the
heart to and through the lungs and back to the left side of
the heart is called the pulmonary circulation. The only
function of the pulmonary circulation is to pick up oxygen
and get rid of carbon dioxide.
• The left sided of the heart
• Receives the blood from the lungs and pumps it to
all the organs of the body.
• The path that blood follows from the left heart and
back to the right heart is called systemic circulation
• The Heart’s chambers and great vessels
• The heart has four chambers: two atria and two
ventricles. The atria are the upper chambers and
receive the blood into the heart; the ventricles are
the lower chambers and pump blood out of the
heart. The right and left hearts are separated from
one another by a septum.
• The right atrium is a thin-walled cavity that
receives unoxygenated (blue) blood from the
superior and inferior venae cavae.
• The superior vena cava collects blood from the head
and upper body region while the inferior vena cava
receives blood from the lower part of the body.
• The right ventricle receives unoxygenated blood
from the right atrium. The primary function of the
right ventricle is to pump blood through the
pulmonary artery to the lungs.
• The left atrium is a thin-walled cavity that receives
oxygenated (red) blood from the lungs through four
pulmonary veins.
• The left ventricle receives oxygenated blood from
the left atrium. The primary function of the left
ventricle is to pump blood into the systemic
circulation.
• Blood leaves the left ventricle through the aorta, the
largest artery of the body. Note the thickness of the
myocardial layer of the ventricles as compared to
the thinner atrial muscle. The thick muscle is needed
to create enough force to pump blood out of the
heart. Note also that the left ventricular myocardium
is thicker than the right ventricular myocardium.
This difference is due to the greater amount of force
required to pump blood into the systemic circulation
(aorta)
• Great Vessels of the Heart:
Heart
• They include
• The superior and inferior venae cavae
• Pulmonary artery
• Four pulmonary veins
• Aorta
• The Heart Valves
• The heart has four valves. The purpose of the heart valves is
to keep the blood flowing in a forward direction.
• Two of the valves are called atrioventricular valves, or AV
valves. They are located between the atria and the
ventricles. Blood flows from the atria through the
atrioventricular valves into the ventricles.
• Atrioventricular valves are entrance valves because they
allow blood to enter the ventricles
• The other two valves are classified as semilunar
valves, so named because the flaps of the valves
resemble a half moon.
• The semilunar valves control the outflow of blood
from the heart and left ventricles and therefore exit
valves.