Cardiovascular Anatomy

Circulatory system design

closed system

arteries

arterioles

capillaries

venules

veins

heart as a pump

parallel pumps

circuits

pulmonary

pulmonary trunk

lung vasculature

pulmonary veins

systemic

aorta

systemic vasculature

caval veins

atria

ventricles

right-sided function

left-sided function

Heart anatomy

external anatomy

coronary (atrioventricular) sulcus

anterior and posterior interventricular sulci

valves

atrioventricular (AV)

general description

anulus fibrosus

valve leaflets (cusps)

chordae tendineae

papillary muscles

R AV valve (tricuspid)

L AV valve (mitral or bicuspid)

semilunar

3 cusps

pulmonic

aortic

stenosis

insufficiency and regurgitation

wall

epicardium

myocardium

cardiac muscle

Purkinje fibers

endocardium

trabeculae carnae

pectinate muscles

conducting system

sinoatrial (SA) node (pacemaker)

internodal pathways

atrioventricular (AV) node

His bundle

vessels entering heart

R atrium

superior vena cava (SVC)

inferior vena cava (IVC)

coronary sinus

L atrium

2 R and 2 L pulmonary vv

vessels leaving heart

R ventricle

pulmonary trunk

R and L pulmonary aa

L ventricle

aorta

coronary circulation

R coronary a [RCA]

acute marginal br

posterior interventricular br (posterior descending a [PDA])

L coronary a

anterior interventricular br (left anterior descending a [LAD])

diagonal branches [D1, D2, D3]

septal branches

circumflex br [LCx]

obtuse marginal branches [OM1, OM2, OM3]

venous return

great cardiac v → coronary sinus

tributaries

small cardiac v

middle cardiac v

Thebesian vv

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Questions for thought
1.		Explain what is meant by the statement “The heart is a double pump”.
2.		Explain why the atrioventricular valves do not prolapse into the atria during ventricular systole. Why aren’t the semilunar valves designed the same as the AV valves?
3.		Diagram the blood supply to the myocardium.
4.		Using your knowledge of the structure of the pericardial cavity, explain why cardiac tamponade (acute accumulation of fluid within the pericardial cavity) is fatal unless treated immediately. Would a pneumopericardium ¹ have the same effect?

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