Anatomy

• Two atria
• Two ventricles
• Atrioventricular Valves
  • Allows blood flow from the atria to the ventricles during diastole
  • Mitral valve
    • Conduit from the left atrium to the left ventricle
  • Tricuspid valve
    • Conduit from the right atrium to the right ventricle
  • Chordae tendineae
    • Fibrous strands that connect the papillary muscle to atrioventricular valves
    • ↓ Prolapse/regurgitation into the atria during systole
  • Papillary muscles
    • Attached to the chordae tendineae
• Semilunar Valves
  • Allows blood to flow from the ventricles to the great vessels during systole
  • Aortic valve
    • Conduit from the left ventricle atrium to the aorta
  • Pulmonic valve
    • Conduit from the right ventricle to the pulmonary artery
• Great Vessels
  • Pulmonary veins
    • Return oxygenated blood to the left atrium
  • Superior and Inferior vena cavae
    • Return deoxygenated blood to the right atrium
  • Pulmonary artery
    • Transports deoxygenated blood to the lungs
  • Aorta
    • Transports oxygenated blood to the body
• Pericardium
  • Protective fibrous outer bilayer membrane
• Microscopic
  • Myocytes
  • Fibroblasts
  • Smooth muscle cells
  • Endothelial cells

Function

• Delivers oxygen, hormones, and nutrients to tissues
• Transports away caron dioxide and metabolic waste
• Regulates blood pressure

Cardiac Blood Flow (Figure 2.17)