Heart+Lab+Investigations

=**//Don’t Go Breakin’ My Heart//**=

This lab is divided into two parts:
· **External Anatomy** – This includes movement through heart and blood vessels o Class handout with directions · **Internal Anatomy** – Diagramming internal anatomy of heart, measuring chambers of heart of varying mammals. o Measuring Data Collection Sheet o Reflection Questions o Diagram of internal heart o Description of blood flow through



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**Observation: External Anatomy**
Most heart diagrams show the //left// atrium and ventricle on the //right// side of the diagram. Imagine the heart in the body of a person facing you. The left side of their heart is on //their// left, but since you are facing them, it is on //your// right. 1. Identify the right and left sides of the heart. Look closely and on one side you will see a diagonal line of blood vessels that divide the heart. The half that includes all of the **apex** (pointed end) of the heart is the left side. Confirm this by squeezing each half of the heart. The left half will feel much firmer and more muscular than the right side. (The left side of the heart is stronger because it has to pump blood to the whole body. The right side only pumps blood to the lungs.) 2. Turn the heart so that the right side is on your right, as if it were in your body. Examine the flaps of darker tissue on the top of the heart. These ear-like flaps are called **auricles**. Find the large opening at the top of the heart next to the right auricle. This is the opening to the **superior vena cava**//,// which brings blood from the top half of the body to the **right atrium** (the **atria** are the top chambers in the heart). A little down and to the left of the superior vena cava there is another blood vessel opening. Insert your probe into this; it should also lead into the right atrium. This is the **inferior vena cava,** which brings blood from the lower tissues. You can also see another blood vessel next to the left auricle. This is a **pulmonary vein** that brings blood from the lungs into the **left atrium**. 3. Sticking straight up from the center of the heart is the largest blood vessel you will see. This is the **aorta**, which takes oxygenated blood from the **left ventricle** to the rest of the body (the ventricles are the lower chambers of the heart). The aorta branches into more than one artery right after it leaves the heart, so it may have more than one opening on your heart specimen. Look carefully at the openings and you should be able to see that they are connected to each other. 4. Behind and to the left of the aorta there is another large vessel. This is the **pulmonary artery** which takes blood from the **right ventricle** to the lungs.
 * http://www.hometrainingtools.com/misc/Heart2.pdf ||
 * http://www.hometrainingtools.com/misc/Heart2.pdf ||
 * http://www.hometrainingtools.com/misc/Heart1.pdf ||
 * http://www.hometrainingtools.com/misc/Heart1.pdf ||