Cardiac anatomy

The heart is a muscular organ found in humans and other animals. This organ pumps blood through the blood vessels. The heart and blood vessels together make up the circulatory system. The pumped blood carries oxygen and nutrients to the tissue, while carrying metabolic waste such as carbon dioxide to the lungs. In humans, the heart is approximately the size of a closed fist and is located between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest, called the mediastinum.

The aorta ( ; : aortas or aortae) is the main and largest artery in the human body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart, branching upwards immediately after, and extending down to the abdomen, where it splits at the aortic bifurcation into two smaller arteries (the common iliac arteries). The aorta distributes oxygenated blood to all parts of the body through the systemic circulation.

middle layer of the heart wall, which consists of cardiac muscle

The pericardium (), also called pericardial sac, is a double-walled sac containing the heart and the roots of the great vessels. It has two layers, an outer layer made of strong inelastic connective tissue (fibrous pericardium), and an inner layer made of serous membrane (serous pericardium). It encloses the pericardial cavity, which contains pericardial fluid, and defines the middle mediastinum. It separates the heart from interference of other structures, protects it against infection and blunt trauma, and lubricates the heart's movements.

chamber of the heart

chamber of the heart

flap of tissue that prevent backflow of blood around the heart

artery of the coronary circulation which transports blood into and out of the cardiac muscle

group of cells located in the wall of the right atrium of the heart

thumb|Illustration depicting the layers of the heart wall including the innermost endocardium

valve in the heart connecting the left atrium and left ventricle

valve in the human heart between the left ventricle and the aorta

one-way valve present between right auricle and right ventricle

part of the electrical conduction system of the heart that coordinates the top of the heart.

circulation of blood in the blood vessels of the heart muscle (myocardium)

semilunar valve of the heart

fibers that allow the heart's conduction system to create synchronized contractions of its ventricles

collection of heart muscle cells specialized for electrical conduction

anatomical structure

muscles located in the ventricles of the heart

Network of cells that facilitate rhythmic heart contraction

cord-like tendons that connect the papillary muscles to the tricuspid valve and the mitral valve in the heart

The cardiac skeleton is a high density single structure of connective tissue that forms and anchors the valves and influences the forces exerted through them

anatomical structure

Anatomical cardiac structure

Wall of the heart chambers

Anatomical area located in the right atrium of human heart

complex cell-cell junction at which myofibrils terminate in cardiomyocytes

heart

conical pouch formed from the upper and left angle of the right ventricle in the chordate heart, from which the pulmonary trunk arises

parallel ridges in the walls of the atria of the heart

study of healthy, unimpaired function of the heart

the area on the lower back side of the heart where the coronary sulcus and the posterior interventricular sulcus meet

study of the circulatory system, specifically addressing the physiology of the heart ("cardio") and blood vessels ("vascular")

small veins in the walls of all four heart chambers

groove separating the heart's ventricles

offshoots of the bundle of His in the heart's ventricle

one of two grooves that separates the ventricles of the heart, never the left margin

anatomical feature of the human heart

Anatomical feature of the human heart

space of the pericardium

Ligaments of the sternum and pericardium