Anatomy Word
Anatomy Word
Anatomy Word
Dr.Ia Khakhutaishvili
Heart Anatomy
Your heart is located between your lungs in the middle of your chest, behind and slightly to the left
of your breastbone (sternum). A double-layered membrane called the pericardium surrounds your
heart like a sac. The outer layer of the pericardium surrounds the roots of your heart's major blood
vessels and is attached by ligaments to your spinal column, diaphragm, and other parts of your body.
Your heart has 4 chambers. The upper chambers are called the left and right atria, and 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 left ventricle is the largest and strongest
chamber in your heart. The left ventricle’s chamber walls are only about a half-inch thick, but they
have enough force to push blood through the aortic valve and into your body.
heart valves
Heart valves keep the blood fluid flowing in one direction in the same way most pumps work. The
heart has two types of valves that keep the blood flowing in the correct direction. The valves
between the atria and ventricles are called atrioventricular valves (also called cuspid valves), while
those at the bases of the large vessels leaving the ventricles are called semilunar valves.
The right atrioventricular valve is the tricuspid valve. The left atrioventricular valve is the bicuspid, or
mitral, valve. The valve between the right ventricle and pulmonary trunk is the pulmonary semilunar
valve. The valve between the left ventricle and the aorta is the aortic semilunar valve.
When the ventricles contract, atrioventricular valves close to prevent blood from flowing back into
the atria. When the ventricles relax, semilunar valves close to prevent blood from flowing back into
the ventricles.
The Layers of the Heart Wall
The heart wall is composed of connective tissue, endothelium, and cardiac muscle. It is the cardiac
muscle that enables the heart to contract and allows for the synchronization of the heartbeat. The
heart wall is divided into three layers: epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium.
Epicardium
Epicardium (epi-cardium) is the outer layer of the heart wall. It is also known as visceral pericardium
as it forms the inner layer of the pericardium. The epicardium is composed primarily of loose
connective tissue, including elastic fibers and adipose tissue. The epicardium functions to protect the
inner heart layers and also assists in the production of pericardial fluid. This fluid fills the pericardial
cavity and helps to reduce friction between pericardial membranes. Also found in this heart layer are
the coronary blood vessels, which supply the heart wall with blood. The inner layer of the
epicardium is in direct contact with the myocardium.
Myocardium
Myocardium (myo-cardium) is the middle layer of the heart wall. It is composed of cardiac muscle
fibers, which enable heart contractions. The myocardium is the thickest layer of the heart wall, with
its thickness varying in different parts of the heart. The myocardium of the left ventricle is the
thickest, as this ventricle is responsible for generating the power needed to pump oxygenated blood
from the heart to the rest of the body. Cardiac muscle contractions are under the control of the
peripheral nervous system, which directs involuntary functions including heart rate.
Cardiac conduction is made possible by specialized myocardial muscle fibers. These fiber bundles,
consisting of the atrioventricular bundle and Purkinje fibers, carry electrical impulses down the
center of the heart to the ventricles. These impulses trigger the muscle fibers in the ventricles to
contract.
Endocardium
Endocardium (endo-cardium) is the thin inner layer of the heart wall. This layer lines the inner heart
chambers, covers heart valves, and is continuous with the endothelium of large blood vessels. The
endocardium of heart atria consists of smooth muscle, as well as elastic fibers. An infection of the
endocardium can lead to a condition known as endocarditis. Endocarditis is typically the result of an
infection of the heart valves or endocardium by certain bacteria, fungi, or other microbes.
Endocarditis is a serious condition that can be fatal.
Blood vessels of the heart
There are three main types of blood vessels
Arteries: The arteries carry oxygen and nutrients away from your heart, to your body's tissues.
Arteries begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart.
They carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body's tissues.
They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood further from the heart.
Capillaries: Capillaries are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins.
Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide and waste products to pass to and from the
tissue cells.
Veins: These are blood vessels that take oxygen-poor blood back to the heart.
Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart.
The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and
the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart.
This vast system of blood vessels - arteries, veins, and capillaries - is over 60,000 miles long. That's
long enough to go around the world more than twice! Blood flows
continuously through your body's blood vessels. Your heart is the pump that makes it all possible.
Thank you
Refernces
https://www.texasheart.org/heart-health/heart-information-center/topics/heart-anatomy/
https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/left-right-different-functions-of-heart
https://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/what-are-the-parts-of-the-heart.html
https://www.thoughtco.com/the-heart-wall-4022792
https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17059-how-does-blood-flow-through-your-body