Heart Lab Review

21 question-and-answer flashcards covering heart anatomy, histology, coronary circulation, conduction, and ECG concepts.

Where is the heart located within the thoracic cavity?

In the pericardial cavity, posterior to the sternum, slightly left of the body midline, between the lungs in the mediastinum.

What are the four chambers of the heart?

Right atrium, left atrium, right ventricle, and left ventricle.

What are the two atrioventricular (AV) valves and their alternate names?

The tricuspid valve (right AV valve) and the bicuspid or mitral valve (left AV valve).

Which two valves are classified as semilunar valves?

The aortic semilunar valve and the pulmonary semilunar valve.

List the great vessels connected to the heart.

Pulmonary trunk, aorta, superior vena cava, and inferior vena cava.

Which structure in the right atrium marks the remnant of the fetal foramen ovale?

The fossa ovalis.

What fibrous strands attach AV valve cusps to papillary muscles?

Chordae tendineae.

Which heart wall layer is composed mainly of cardiac muscle tissue?

The myocardium.

Name the three layers of the heart wall from deepest to most superficial.

Endocardium, myocardium, and epicardium (visceral layer of serous pericardium).

What are the two layers of the serous pericardium?

The parietal layer and the visceral layer (epicardium).

Which septa separate the heart’s chambers?

The interatrial septum and the interventricular septum (plus the atrioventricular septum region).

Which artery runs in the anterior interventricular sulcus and is often called the LAD?

The anterior interventricular artery (left anterior descending artery).

Into which vessel do most coronary veins empty before reaching the right atrium?

The coronary sinus.

Trace the normal electrical conduction pathway of the heart.

SA node → AV node → AV bundle (bundle of His) → right and left bundle branches → Purkinje fibers.

On an ECG, which wave represents atrial depolarization?

The P wave.

Which ECG complex corresponds to ventricular depolarization?

The QRS complex.

What does the T wave on an ECG signify?

Ventricular repolarization.

Define tachycardia.

An abnormally fast resting heart rate, generally over 100 beats per minute.

Define bradycardia.

An abnormally slow resting heart rate, generally below 60 beats per minute.

What is fibrillation?

Rapid, chaotic, and unsynchronized heart contractions that impair pumping efficiency.

Which histological feature enables rapid electrical coupling between cardiac muscle cells?

Intercalated discs.