Heart Anatomy & Circulation

Warm-up Activity:
In class you will receive a diagram of a heart, labels, and markers. Use these materials and your
memory/understanding (no books or other resourcesit will make this warm-up activity far less
valuable for your learning ) of the heart to help you complete the following activities in groups
of 2:
1. Use the heart anatomy labels to label the heart diagram. Be sure that each group
member agrees on the anatomy.
2. Now place the labels in the order that blood passes through each structure, starting with
the superior and inferior vena cava.
3. Discuss: Where does blood go after passing through the pulmonary arteries? Where does
blood go after passing through the aorta? You may want to add these to your drawing.
4. Use the markers to color the heart either red or blue, depending on the color of the blood
that is contained within it (highly oxygenated blood is a vibrant scarlet color, while lowly
oxygenated blood is a much darkeralmost purplered).
5. Share your diagram with another twosome and explain the movement of blood through
the heart to them. Use the proper anatomical names in your description
Discussion Questions
In your groups, please discuss the questions below. When both members of your group have
agreed on the answer, please write the consensus answer on your own sheet of paper. As you
will receive an individual grade for this, each student needs to submit their own paper with
questions answered. Plus, writing is a great learning activity!
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.

In your own words, define pulmonary circuit:

In your own words, define systemic circuit:
The right side of the heart is the pump for which circuit, pulmonary or systemic?
Which circuit is the left side of the heart the pump for?
Based on their responsibilities for pumping blood, which side of the heart (right or left) do
you think must pump harder? Explain your answer.
6. Which side of the heart do you think more commonly weakens faster and fails first?
Explain your answer.
7. If the right side of the heart is failing, how do you think this would affect blood flow in the
pulmonary circuit? Explain your answer.
8. If the right side of the heart is failing, how do you think this would affect blood flow in the
systemic circuit? Explain.
9. Most of the blood vessels of the body are porousthey leak fluidand blood is mostly
fluid. Predict what happens to pressure in a vessel when blood builds up within it due to
improper blood flow.
10.How would changes in pressure in a blood vessel affect the amount of fluid leaked from
that vessel? Explain your answer.
11.Predict where in the body right-sided heart failure would cause swelling (a build-up of fluid
leaked from blood vessels)
12.If the left side of the heart is failing, how would it affect blood flow in the pulmonary
circuit? Explain your answer.
13.If the left side of the heart is failing, where would you expect to have swelling? Explain.
14.How would left-sided heart failure affect blood flow in the systemic circuit? Explain.
15.How would left-sided heart failure affect the right-side of the heart? Explain your answer.
16.Assume the tricuspid valve is stenotic (narrower than normal when open). How would this
affect blood flow from the right atrium to the right ventricle?

17.Would the scenario above primarily affect the workload of the right atrium or the right
ventricle? Why?
18.Predict whether or not a narrowed valve may increase the likelihood of the heart failing.
Explain your answer.
19.Assume the aortic semilunar valve is leaky (doesnt close tightly). How would this affect
blood flow on the left side of the heart?
20.Predict whether or not this would increase the likelihood that the heart would fail. Explain
your answer.
21.During fetal development the heart has a hole in the wall between the right and left atria
known as the foramen ovale. Draw where the foramen ovale would be located on your
laminated heart.
22.In the fetus, blood moves directly from the right atrium to the left atrium through the
foramen ovale. Based on this, what is different about circulation in the fetus from
circulation following birth?
23.How do you think the fetus compensates for this difference in its circulation? What is
making up for that part of the circulation being nonfunctional? (P.S.--If you are
interested in knowing the super cool way that humans switch from the fetal
circulatory pathway to the normal circulatory pathway at the moment of birth,
ask me!)
Finishing Up
Once youve finished up the discussion questions, please do the following:
1. Exchange partners with another twosome. Go over your answers and be sure that you are
all in agreement.
2. Erase the marks you made on the laminated heart
3. Replace all of the materials back in the bag
4. Submit your papers to me and you are free to go