Heart Dissection Lab Questions

1. The purpose of the pericardium is to hold the heart in place, protect it, and stop it from literally exploding from the pressure.
2. Arteries have thicker walls than veins do.
3. The auricle is meant to expand, giving the atria more volume to hold blood.
4. The left ventricle looks and feels harder and slightly larger than the right.
5. a) The coronary sinus is a large vein on the posterior of the heart that collect blood from the coronary artery and sends it back to the right atrium.
    b) The inferior vena cava brings the oxygen deprived blood from the lower body back to the heart.
    c) The tricuspid valve, or Right Atrioventricular Valve separates the right atrium and ventricle to prevent back-flow.
6.

Right side of heart (tricuspid valve + chordae tendinae and papillary muscles)

7. The "anchoring" of the valves in the heart by the chordate tendinae  and the papillary muscles is important because it makes sure there is no back-flow of blood causing lack of blood floe to body or malfunctions in the heart.
8.

Left side of heart

9. The semi lunar valves between the right and left ventricles and pulmonary artery and aorta respectively, is to prevent back-flow of blood back into the ventricles from the arteries.
10. a) If there is a malfunction in the right side of the heart and a swelling of the feet occurs, it means that blood isn't properly being taken from the lower extremities by the inferior vena cava into the right atrium and right ventricles. If there is back flow in this area, oxygen deprived blood is stuck in the body.
      b) If there was a valve defect in the left side of the heart, the heart would not be properly transporting blood to the rest of the body and the body's cells would be starved of oxygen and die.
11.

12. The right side of the heart receives oxygen deprived blood from the body and send it to the lungs to get oxygen. The left side of the heart receives the oxygen rich blood from the lungs and sends it to the rest of the body.
13.

Cross Section of Heart