Sheep Heart Dissection

1. The purpose of the pericardium fixes the heart to the mediastinum, gives protection against infection, and provides the lubrication for the heart.

2. Veins have thinner walls than arteries and are one way valves. Arteries, on the other hand, are elastic, meaning that they expand when the heart contracts and recoils when the heart relaxes. In addition, arteries are contractile, meaning that the smooth muscle tissues cause vasodilation or vasoconstriction.

3. The function of the auricle resembles an ear that is part of the heart and serves as extra volume for the heart.

4. The walls of the ventricles are thicker than those of the atria. The atria are the upper chambers of the heart and the ventricles are the lower chambers of the heart.

6.
 

7. The ¨anchoring¨ of the heart valves by the chordae tendineae and the papillary muscle is important to heart function because 

8. The chordae tendineae connects the papillary muscles to the tricuspid valve, which is shown in question 6.

9. The function of the semi-lunar valves is to prevent backflow of blood from the arteries to the ventricles during ventricular diastole, and to help maintain pressure on the major arteries.

10a. The valve disease´s occuring on the right side of the heart might result in the swelling of the feet and ankles because blood on the right side of the heart comes from the inferior vena cava, the lower part of the body.

10b. If the valve disease occurs on the left side of the heart, the brain and the upper part of the body might be affected by this disease because blood on the left side of the body comes from the superior vena cava, the upper part of the body.

11.


12. The left and right sides of the heart differ from each other because there are four hollow chambers in the heart. There are two chambers on the left side- the left atria and the left ventricle- and two chambers on the right side- the right atria and the right ventricle. The right atria is upper chamber, receiving oxygen deprived blood. The right ventricle, a lower chamber, discharges blood. The left atria, the upper chamber, receives oxygen rich blood. The left ventricle, the lower chamber, is the thickest wall.

13.