Question

Write about the vasculature of the heart.

Answer 1

Heart:

1. The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body.
2. Externally, the heart is composed of muscles.
3. Strong muscles present in the walls of the heart contract (squeeze) and thus pump blood into the arteries.

Vasculature of the heart:

1. The main blood vessels connected to the heart are the aorta, the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava, the pulmonary artery (that carries deoxygenated blood from the heart up to the lungs), the pulmonary veins (that brings oxygenated blood from the lungs to the heart), and the coronary arteries (that supply blood to the muscles of the heart).
2. Internally, the heart is four-chambered and hollow.
3. It is bifurcated into left and right parts by a wall known as a septum.
4. The right and left sides of the heart are then divided into two upper chambers known as the atria, which receive blood from the veins, and two lower chambers called ventricles, that pump blood into the arteries.
5. The arteries and ventricles work in a coordinated fashion, contracting and relaxing to pump blood out and inside of the heart.
6. As blood exits any chamber of the heart, it passes through a valve.
7. There are four valves present in the heart : Mitral valve, tricuspid valve, aortic valve and pulmonic valve (also called pulmonary valve).
8. The tricuspid and mitral valves are positioned between the atria and ventricles..
9. The aortic and pulmonic valves are positioned between the ventricles and the main blood vessels leaving the heart.
10. The valves prevent the backflow of the blood in the wrong direction.
11. Each valve bears a pair of flaps, also known as leaflets or cusps.
12. The mitral valve has two leaflets (bicuspid valve) and the other valves have three flaps (tricuspid valve).