CROSS SECTIONAL ANATOMY of the HUMAN HEART
CLIENT
N/A
CATEGORY
Anatomical Illustration
AUDIENCE
Medical Education
SPECIALTY
Cardiovascular & Cardiology
Description
The anterior portion of the heart has been removed to reveal its inner contents. This illustration identifies the major components of heart circulation as well as key elements that lie within the chambers. The heart is a double pump, each pump consisting of an atrium and a ventricle separated by a valve (tricuspid on the right, mitral on the left). The right atrium is supplied by the superior and inferior vena cava, as well as the coronary sinus. The fossa ovalis is a major topographical landmark. The three-leafed tricuspid valve (cut) separates the right atrium from the right ventricle. The right ventricle is roughly walled with trabeculae carnae, or ‘meaty ridges’. Blood is pumped to the lungs through the pulmonary valve and trunk. Oxygenated blood returns to the left atrium via the pulmonary veins. The left ventricle then pumps the blood into the aorta and into systemic circulation.
