Basics Coronary Arteries

• Coronary Arteries:

  • The coronary arteries supply essential nutrients and oxygen to the highly aerobic cardiac muscle fibres
  • Although at rest, ~ 5 – 6 litres of blood passes through the cardiac chambers per minute, very little of it actually nourishes the heart muscle
  • this is because the cardiac muscle wall is so thick that diffusion is not a feasible option
  • So just like other tissues the heart muscle must receive blood directly via its own dedicated blood supply i.e. the coronary circulation
• Coronary Arteries:

  • Healthy coronary arteries are essential to normal cardiac muscle functioning
  • Unfortunately, coronary arteries are also prone to vessel disease e.g. atherosclerosis
• Coronary Arteries:

  • In total there are two coronary arteries
  • the left and right coronary arteries - arise from the root of the aorta and encircle the base of the heart travelling in the atrioventricular groove
  • The left coronary artery: runs towards the left side of the heart where it divides into its 2 main branches:
  • The left anterior descending branch (LAD artery) – which supplies the interventricular septum and the anterior walls of both ventricles
  • The circumflex artery (LCx) - which supplies the left atrium and the posterior aspect of the left ventricle
• Coronary Arteries:

  • In total there are two coronary arteries
  • the left and right coronary arteries - arise from the root of the aorta and encircle the base of the heart travelling in the atrioventricular groove
  • The Right Coronary Artery: supplies the wall of the right ventricle and part of the posterior left ventricle, it also supplies the sinoatrial node (SAN), atrioventricular node (AVN) and Bundle of His