Biology 241 Lab B

Assignment
Exercise 27
James Jung (363183)

Exercise 27- Heart Structure and Function

Define each circulatory system

- Pulmonary circulatory system: It is the portion of the cardiovascular system which carries
deoxygenated blood away from the heart, to the lungs, and returns oxygenated blood back to heart.
-

Systemic circulatory system: This is another portion of the cardiovascular system which carries
oxygenated blood away from the heart to the body, and returns deoxygenated blood back to the
heart.

Complete answers to #12

- How many cusps does the bicuspid valve have? 2
- Does this valve look similar otherwise to the other AV valve? Yes
- Are there chordae tendineae and papillary muscles? Yes
- Does the left ventricle have a greater or smaller number of papillary muscles compared with
the right side? Smaller
- Compare the thickness of the right and left ventricles. Which one is thicker? Left
- Why? To pump through systemic circulation

Review Your Knowledge

A. Major Heart Structures and Great
1. Coronary muscle
2. Myocardium
3. Auricles
4. Mediastinum
5. Endocardium
6. Apex
7. Ventricle
8. Atria
9. Epicardium
10. Base
11. Oxygen-poor
12. Oxygen rich
13. Papillary muscle
14. Trabeculae carneae
15. Pectinate muscle
16. Chordae tendinaea
17. Inferior vena cava
18. Mitral bicuspid
19. Fossa ovalis
20. Tricuspid valve
B. Coronary Circulation
1. Left Anterior Descending artery

2. Posterior interventricular artery

3. Circumflex branch
4. Anterior interventricular branch
5. Posterior interventricular branch
6. Left coronary artery
7. Coronary sinus
8. Great cardiac vein
9. Middle cardiac vein
10. Small cardiac vein
C. The Heart and pulmonary circulation
1. Superior Vena Cava
2. Right Atrium
3. Tricuspid Valve
4. Right Ventricle
5. Pulmonary Valve
6. Pulmonary Trunk
7. Pulmonary Arteries
8. Pulmonary Capillaries
9. Pulmonary Veins
10. Left Atrium
11. Bicuspid Valve
12. Left Ventricle
13. Aortic Valve
14. Aorta

Using Your Knowledge

A. The Heart
1. What is the function of the pericardial fluid?
- The function of the pericardial fluid is lubricant that reduces friction while the heart is beating.
2. If a person has pulmonary valve stenosis, which circulation is affected the most:
pulmonary, systemic, or cardiac circulation?
Systemic
3. A blood clot (thrombus) is which artery of the coronary circulation would be more likely to
cause sudden death? Explain your choice.
-

Anterior Interventricular branch because it supplies the most of blood to the walls of both ventricles.

4. The pulmonary trunk and pulmonary arteries are colored blue in all of the figures. Why
-

are they colored blue like most veins?

Because they carry deoxygenated blood (oxygen poor blood) from the right atrium to lung capillaries
5. If the foramen ovale does not fully close after birth, what will happen?
Oxygen poor blood will bypass the lungs and enter the aorta.
6. If a person has endocarditis, myocarditis, or pericarditis, what areas are infected?
Endocardium, myocardium, epicardium

7. Athletes have thicker heart walls than non-athletes. Which layer of the heart enlarges?
Explain.
The myocardium will enlarge because it provides the increase in cardiac output needed during
exercise.
8. Atrioventricular valves and semilunar valves have different structures. Explain if high
pressure from above or below each type of valve opens the valves.
-

Atrioventricular valves are opened by pressure from above.

Semilunar valves are opened by pressure from below.
9. Which ventricular wall is thicker? What is the significance of this?

The left ventricular wall is thicker because it pumps blood with more force to endure the higher
blood pressure in the aorta and to open the aortic valve.
10. The heart has many anastomoses. What benefit are these to the heart?
The benefit of anastomoses is it allows alternate blood pathways to and from all parts of the heart
muscle if one is blocked.
11. What is the significance of the difference in the vessel wall thickness between the aorta and
the pulmonary trunk?
The aorta is thicker because it has to handle higher pressure than the pulmonary trunk.
12. Using your knowledge, explain why mitral valve prolapse occurs more often than tricuspid
prolapse.
Because when the left ventricle contracts, the mitral valve has to resist a great pressure comes from
it, but it has only two cusps.
13. How could heart function be affected if the AV valve did not completely close during
ventricular contraction?
The amount of blood coming out from the heart would decrease because some blood would reflux
into the atria instead into the aorta or pulmonary trunk.

B. Coronary Circulation
14. Ascending aorta
15. Left coronary artery
16. Anterior interventricular artery
17. Left ventricular capillaries
18. Great cardiac vein
19. Coronary sinus
20. Right atrium