Ex: 30 - Anatomy of the Heart

to transport oxygen, digested foods, cell wastes, electrolytes, and many other substances vital to the body's homeostasis to and from the body cells

a cone-shaped organ approximately the size of a fist, is located within the mediastinum, or medial cavity, of the thorax

the tip or pointed end of a conical structure, extends slightly to the left and rests on the diaphragm and approximately at the level of the fifth intercostal space

lies beneath the second rib and points toward the right shoulder

a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels, reflects downward at the base of the heart to form its companion serous membrane

the parietal layer of the serous pericardium, which is in contact with the fibrous pericardium, and the outer, which is attached at the heart apex to the diaphragm

the external layer of the pericardium, consisting of dense connective tissue

inflammation of the pericardium, causes painful adhesions between the serous pericardial layers, these adhesions interfere with heart movements

cardiac muscle, forms the bulk of the heart wall and contracts as the organ beats

two superior, thin-walled sacs of the heart that receive blood from the veins of the body and empty into the ventricles

two inferior, the powerful muscular chambers of the heart whose contractions force blood to flow through the arteries to all parts of the body

the thin serous membrane, composed of endothelial and subendothelial tissue, that lines the interior of the heart