Found within the layers of the walls of the heart, can contract and relax without input from the nervous system or hormones, doesn't fatigue as long as it has glucose and oxygen
Unique properties of cardiac muscle
Can contract and relax without input from the nervous system or hormones
Doesn't fatigue as long as it has glucose and oxygen
Coronary arteries are the blood vessels surrounding the heart that supply the cardiac muscle with oxygenated blood to prevent fatigue
Myocardial infarction or a heart attack is caused by blockages in coronary arteries leading to a lack of oxygenated blood supply to the cardiac muscle
Chambers of the heart
Atria (left and right)
Ventricles (left and right)
Atria
Thinner walls made of cardiac muscle, have a thin wall and a stick within them to stretch as blood moves in, contract to push blood down into the ventricles
Ventricles
Thicker muscular walls compared to atria, contract with greater force to push blood out at higher pressure, right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs with a thinner wall, left ventricle pumps blood around the body with a thicker wall
Right ventricle
Has a thinner muscular wall compared to the left ventricle to pump blood to the lungs at a lower pressure for better gas exchange
Left ventricle
Has a thicker muscular wall to pump blood around the body at a higher pressure to ensure all cells receive blood
Blood after leaving the left ventricle
Has a much thicker muscular wall for large contractions to create high pressure to ensure blood reaches all cells in the body
Major blood vessels entering from the left and right hand side
Aorta
Left pulmonary artery
Right pulmonary artery
Right pulmonary vein
Left pulmonary vein
Inferior vena cava
Superior vena cava
Veins
Blood vessels which bring blood into the heart
Vena cava
Carries deoxygenated blood from the body back into the heart
Pulmonary vein
Carries oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium
Arteries
Carry blood away from the heart
Pulmonary artery
Carries deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs to become oxygenated
Aorta
Carries oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body
Semilunar valves
Found in the aorta and the pulmonary arteries, between the ventricles and the arteries
Atrioventricular valves
Found between the atrium and the ventricles
Types of atrioventricular valves
Bicuspid or mitral valve
Tricuspid valve
Types of semilunar valves
Found in the pulmonary artery and the aorta
Function of valves
Ensure blood flows in one direction by opening only with higher pressure from behind and closing with higher pressure in front
Septum
Piece of cardiac muscle that runs down the middle separating the left and right side of the heart, maintaining the separation of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood