The ascending aorta, or aorta ascendens, along with its constituents, amounts to about five centimeters in length. It constitutes the initial division of the aorta, the largest artery in the body. It originates from the upper portion of the left ventricle of the heart at the aortic valve “on a level with the lower border of the third costal cartilage behind the left half of the sternum; it passes obliquely upward, forward, and to the right, in the direction of the heart’s axis, as high as the upper border of the second right costal cartilage, describing a slight curve in its course, and being situated, about 6 cm. behind the posterior surface of the sternum.” (Gray” 1) It then gives rise to the right and left coronary arteries, which supply the heart muscle. It then curves left continuing into the arch of the aorta. Originating from the aorta are the right brachiocephalic trunk, left common carotid, and left subclavian arteries. The coronary arteries, thus being, the only branches of the ascending aorta.
At the entrance of the ascending aorta are three minute aortic sinuses and the Aortic Semilunar Valve, a three-cusped valve located at the base of the ascending aorta behind the sternum at the level of the third intercostal space (Grine 273). The point at which the ascending aorta converges with the aortic arch is termed the bulb of the aorta, a swelling due to vessel increasement on the right wall. Lying superior to the ascending aorta is the trunk of the pulmonary artery and the auricular appendage of the right atrium. It is partitioned from the sternum by the serous pericardium, the right pleura, the anterior margin of the right lung, some loose areolar tissue, and the remains of the thymus. Posteriorly, it is propped upon the left atrium and right pulmonary artery. Lying adjacent on the right border is the superior vena cava and right atrium.
In this figure, SN = sinus node; AVN = AV node; RA = right atrium; LA
The Mayo Clinic’s book on High Blood Pressure was full of detailed facts about blood pressure and what it is. This is extremely significant to the experiment because blood pressure is one of the variables being tested. Understanding blood pressure is one of the key components to receiving accurate results from this experiment. Most of the book is on high blood pressure, which is not necessary for the experiment, but the book still had plenty of useful information about blood pressure itself. The book explains that when the heart beats, a surge of blood is released from the left ventricle. It also tells of how arteries are blood vessels that move nutrients and oxygenated blood from the heart to the body’s tissues. The aorta, or the largest artery in the heart, is connected to the left ventricle and is the main place for blood to leave the heart as the aorta branches off into many different smaller
of the heart: one chamber is on the top and one chamber is on the
The human body is an amazing machine, we have cells, tissues, organs and organ system that come together to create the human race. Each system plays a key role in our bodies mechanism. Without each systems our bodies would not function properly, but what happens when one of these system fails? The Cardiovascular system components are blood, blood vessels and the heart. The hearts function is to pump blood to all the major organs and tissues (Circulatory). It’s also important to be aware of the derivation that our bodies may encounter, for example a stroke. In this passage I discuss different types of strokes, what are the signs and symptoms and after care for this disorder of the cardiovascular system.
both these sysmtems work with one another to ensure that organs tissues in the body are supplied with an adequate amount of oxygen, and that carbon dioxide can be removed. firstly through the respiratory system, oxygen is inhaled through the nose and mouth, the oxygen is will travel down the trachea, the rachea divides into the bronchial tubes which enters the lungs. the bronchi divides into smaller branches known as the bronchioles, which have tiny air sacs called alveoli on the end. The alveoli is surrounded by thin blood capillaries, the wall of the capillaries is a single layer of cells. These thin walls allow gas exhange to take place. Oxygen will be diffused in the capillaries and will go into the red blood cells, where it will then be transported back to the heart. carbon dioxide will be diffused though the capillary walls into the alveoli, in an opposite path than oxygen. carbon dixoxide will be released in the lungs and through exhalation the carbon dioxide will be removed.The right atrium of the heart will supplied with de-oxygenated blood by the superior and inverior vena cava. The right atrium will pump the de-oxygenatd blood via the atrioventricualr valve until it reaches the right ventricle. the right ventricle will pump the de-oxygenated blood via the pulmonary semi-lunar valve, which will carry the blood pass through the pulmonary arteries unti it reaches the lungs. these veins from the lungs will carry oxygenated blood to the right atrium. the right atrium will now pump this fresh oxygenated blood past the aventricular valve so it can enter the left ventricle. the left ventricle the thickest out of the four chambers and will pump, so that oxygenated blood is supplied to all the organ tissues in the
If aortic arch is right sided and the patient has pulmonary stenosis physiology, the entire length of the duct can be well visualized in one view because unlike in those patients with vertical ducts, it does not follow a tortuous course.
Conoyer et al. described a case in which a right common carotid artery, the first branch of the arch of the aorta, traversed the trachea from left to right, just superior to the sternal notch. Prior et al (1997) detailed a case in which the right common carotid originated on the right side and wound around the trachea to the left side before returning to the right side to perfuse its typical tissues. No other case on record, however, describes a right common carotid artery emerging as a fourth and final branch of the arch of the aorta on the left side of the trachea, crossing the midline anterior to the trachea, and resuming its natural course to the contralateral carotid triangle. Additionally, a retroesophageal right subclavian artery was discovered as the first aortic branch, a phenomenon previously estimated to be present in 0.5% - 1.8% of the population (Richardson, Doti, & Rossi,
A system of blood vessels allows the exchange of materials that occurs in the kidneys. A renal artery branches off the abdominal aorta and enters the renal sinus of each kidney. Segmental arteries diverge from the renal artery to form interlobar arteries, which ascend within the renal columns toward the renal cortex. Branches from the interlobar arteries diverge near the base of each pyramid and arch over the bases of the pyramids to form the arcuate arteries. Interlobular arteries project from the arcuate arteries into the cortex, and afferent arterioles are derived from the interlobular arteries or their branches. The afferent arterioles supply blood to the glomerular capillaries of the renal corpuscles.
Furthermore, Aristotle and Galen’s theories contributed to the Renaissance revival of heart anatomy. This reawakening made it possible for physicians to indicate the basic arrangement of the heart. It became commonly accepted that the heart was divided into four parts: two ventricles (lower chambers that pump blood out) and two auricles (upper chamber that r...
The heart serves as a powerful function in the human body through two main jobs. It pumps oxygen-rich blood throughout the body and “blood vessels called coronary arteries that carry oxygenated blood straight into the heart muscle” (Katzenstein and Pinã, 2). There are four chambers and valves inside the heart that “help regulate the flow of blood as it travels through the heart’s chambers and out to the lungs and body” (Katzenstein Pinã, 2). Within the heart there is the upper chamber known as the atrium (atria) and the lower chamber known as the ventricles. “The atrium receive blood from the lu...
thin, perforated tube along the top of the body (called the "dorsal aorta") that functions
The human heart has two ventricles and two atria making up four chambers. The heart includes the atria and ventricles. The left atrium and the left ventricle make up the left side of the heart and the right atrium and right ventricle make up the right side of the heart. Each side is important but the left ventricle and left atrium is the most important, and I will tell you why. The left ventricle receives blood from the left atrium and pumps into the aorta. The aorta pumps oxygenated blood to the rest of the body. If someone shot you in your left ventricle, you would most certainly die. That is why it is the most important. It pumps blood to the rest of your body. The right ventricle is important too. The right ventricle receives blood from the right atrium and pumps blood to the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary artery ha...
When your heart beats, the first beat represents the AV valves closing to prevent the backflow of blood into the atrium. The second beat is the semilunar valves opening to allow blood into the aorta or pulmonary trunk.
Your Heart and Blood Vessels – Illustrations and facts of the anatomy of the heart.