Heart Anatomy and Coronary Circulation

Flashcards covering heart circuits, anatomical structures, layers of the heart wall, and coronary circulation based on lecture notes.

Pulmonary Circuit

Capillary beds of lungs where gas exchange occurs, involving the pulmonary arteries and pulmonary veins.

Systemic Circuit

Capillary beds of all body tissues where gas exchange occurs, involving the aorta and venae cavae.

Mediastinum

The location of the heart between the second rib and the fifth intercostal space.

Apical impulse

The pulse felt at the apex of the heart, located on the superior surface of the diaphragm.

Fibrous pericardium

The tough, outer layer of the pericardium that protects the heart.

Parietal layer of serous pericardium

The layer of the serous pericardium that lines the internal surface of the fibrous pericardium.

Epicardium

The visceral layer of the serous pericardium and the outermost layer of the heart wall.

Myocardium

The middle layer of the heart wall, consisting of circular and spiral arrangements of cardiac muscle bundles.

Endocardium

The innermost layer of the heart wall that lines the heart chambers.

Fossa ovalis

A depression found in the right atrium of the heart.

Pectinate muscles

Muscular ridges found in the wall of the right atrium.

Chordae tendineae

Tendinous cords that connect the tricuspid and mitral valves to the papillary muscles.

Trabeculae carneae

Muscular ridges located on the internal walls of the ventricles.

Papillary muscle

Muscles found in the ventricles that anchor the chordae tendineae.

Interventricular septum

The wall that separates the right and left ventricles.

Auricle

The flap-like extension of the left or right atrium.

Anastomoses

Junctions between vessels that provide additional routes for blood delivery, though they cannot compensate for coronary artery occlusion.

Left coronary artery

Artery arising from the base of the aorta that branches into the anterior interventricular artery and the circumflex artery.

Right coronary artery

Artery arising from the base of the aorta that branches into the right marginal artery and the posterior interventricular artery.

Coronary sinus

A collection of cardiac veins joined together to form a large vessel that empties into the right atrium.

Great cardiac vein

A vein located in the anterior interventricular sulcus that drains blood into the coronary sinus.

Middle cardiac vein

A vein located in the posterior interventricular sulcus that drains blood into the coronary sinus.

Small cardiac vein

A vein located along the inferior margin of the heart that drains into the coronary sinus.

Gap junction

Specialized cell-to-cell communication points in cardiac muscle that allow for coordinated contraction.

Sarcolemma

The plasma membrane of a cardiac muscle fiber.