 | Term | Definition |
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cardiovascular system |
A transportation system that carries oxygen, digested foods, cell wastes, electrolytes, and many substances which are vital to the body's homeostasis to and from the body cells |
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Heart |
a cone-shaped organ, the size of a fist located within the medial cavity of the thorax |
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Apex |
the pointed end of the heart which extends slightly to the left and rests on the diaphragm |
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pericardium |
the doule-walled fibrous sac which encloses the heart |
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visceral pericardium |
aka the epicardium. It is a thin layer, closely applied to the heart muscle |
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parietal pericardium |
a serous membrane which is attached at the heart apex to the diaphragm. This lines the losely fitting superficial fibrous pericardium |
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Fibrous pericardium |
dense connective tissue that is lined by the parietal pericardium |
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Pericardititis |
inflammation of the pericardium which causes painful adhesions between the serous pericardial layers. These adhesions interfere with heart movements |
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myocardium |
cardiac muscle which composes a lot of the walls of the heart. The walls are reinforced internally by a dense fibrous connective tissue network |
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atria |
Two superior chambers of the heart, serve as receiving chambers |
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ventricles |
two inferior chambers of the heart |
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Endocardium |
Each chamber of the heart is lined by thin serous endothelium |
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Interventricular septum |
septum that divides the heart longitudinally |
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superior and inferior venae cavae |
The source of relatively oxygen-poor blood from the body into the right atrium. |
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Pulmonary veins |
deliver oxygen rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium |
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Pulmonary trunk |
Routes blood to the lungs to be oxygenated. Pumped by the right ventricle |
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aorta |
The source from which all systemic arteries of the body diverge to supply the body tissue. Pumped by the left ventricle. |
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Atrioventricular (AV) valves |
Valves located between the atrial and ventricular chambers on each side of the heart, prevent backflow into the atria when the ventricles are contracting. |
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bicuspid valve |
aka the mitral valve, is the left atrioventricular valve. It consists of two cusps of endocardium. |
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tricuspid valve |
The right atrioventricular valve which consists of three cusps |
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chordae tendineae |
"heart strings" are tiny white collagenic cords that anchor the cusps to the ventricular walls. They originate from the papillary muscles. |
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Papillary muscles |
Small bundles of cardiac muscle that project from the myocardial wall |
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diastole |
The period of ventricular filling. The blood is flowing passively into the atria and then into the ventricles |
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systole |
when the ventricles contract and compress the blood in their chambers, intraventricular blood pressure rises, causing the atrioventricular valves to close and the papillary muscles pull the chodae tendinae tight to prevent backflow into the atria during ventricular contraction |
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Pulmonary and aortic semiulnar valves |
the second set of valves in the heart. Each are composed of three pocketlike cusps which guard the bases of the two large arteries leaving the ventricular chambers. They are forced open as the ventricles discharge their blood into the large arteries during systole. |
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Pulmonary circulation |
The right side of the heart is responsible for this type of circulation which shunts the carbon dioxide-rich blood entering its chambers to the lungs to unload carbon dioxide and pick up oxygen, and then back to the left side of the heart. The function of this circuir is strictly to provide gas exchange. |
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Systemic circulation |
The left side of the heart is responsible for this type of circulation which carries oxygen-rich blood from the left heart, through the body tissues and back to the right heart. It provides the functional blood supply to all body tissues. |
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coronary arteries |
The providers of the functional blood supply of the heart. They are issued froom the base of the aorta and encircle the heart in the atrioventricular groove. They then ramify over the heart's surface. The right artery supplies the posterior surface of the ventricles and the lateral aspect of the right side of the heart. The left artery supplies the anterior ventricular walls and the laterodorsal part of the left side of the heart via its two branches. These arteries and their branches are all compressed during systole and fill when the heart is relaxed. |
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Posterior interventricular and marginal artery |
Branches of the right coronary artery which supply the posterior surface of the ventricles and the lateral aspect of the right side of the heart. |
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Anterior interventricular and circumflex artery |
Two major branches of the left coronary artery which supply blood to the anterior ventricular walls and the laterodorsal part of the left side of the heart via its two major branches |
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Cardiac veins |
the great, middle, and small veins which drain the myocardium |
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coronary sinus |
The great, middle, and small cardiac veins all empty into here, which in turn empties into the right atrium. |
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intercalated disks |
areas where the cardiac cells interdigitate |
