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Structure of The Heart
Structure of The Heart
movement of the heart by minimising friction. The sternopericardiac ligament connects the parietal layer to the
sternum and the phrenopericardiac ligament joins the parietal layer to the diaphragm. The latter is present only in
the canine.
The heart contains four chambers. The two upper chambers are the atria and the two lower chambers are the
ventricles. On the cranial surface of each atrium is a pouch-like appendage called an auricle which is thought to
increase the capacity of the atrium slightly.
The thickness of the myocardium of the four chambers varies according to function. The atria are thin-walled
because they deliver blood into the adjacent ventricles and the ventricles are equipped with thick muscular walls
because they pump blood over greater distances. Even though the right and left ventricles act as two separate
pumps that simultaneously eject equal volumes of blood, the right side has a much smaller workload. This is
because the right ventricle only pumps blood into the lungs, which are close by and present little resistance to
blood flow. On the other hand, the left ventricle pumps blood to the rest of the body, where the resistance to
blood flow is considerably higher. Consequently, the left ventricle works harder than the right ventricle to maintain
the same blood flow rate. This difference in workload affects the anatomy of the ventricular walls; the muscular
wall of the left ventricle being significantly thicker than that of the right.
Right Atrium
The right atrium forms the dorsocranial section of the base of the heart and receives blood from the cranial vena
cava, caudal vena cava and coronary sinus. The interatrial septum is a thin partition dividing the right and left atria
and possesses a characteristic oval depression called the fossa ovalis which is a remnant of the foetal foramen
ovalis. The right atrium also houses the sinoatrial node. Blood flows from the right atrium to the right ventricle
through the tricuspid valve (also know as the right atrioventricular valve).
Right Ventricle
The right ventricle forms most of the anterior surface of the heart and is crescent-shaped in cross-section. The
cusps of the tricuspid valve are connected to tendon-like cords, the chordae tendinae, which, in turn, are
connected to cone-shaped papillary muscles within the ventricular wall. The right ventricle is separated from the
left by a partition called the interventricular septum. The trabecula septomarginalis is a muscular band that
traverses the lumen of the right ventricle. Deoxygenated blood passes from the right ventricle through the
pulmonary semi-lunar valve to the pulmonary trunk, which conveys the blood to the lungs.
Left Atrium
The left atrium forms the dorsocaudal section of the base of the heart and is similar to the right atrium in structure
and shape. It receives oxygenated blood from the lungs via the pulmonary veins. Blood passes from the left atrium
to the left ventricle through the bicuspid or left atrioventricular valve. The left atrium lies under the tracheal
bifurcation and enlargement of this area of the heart can cause breathing difficulties.
Left Ventricle
The left ventricle forms the apex of the heart and is conical in shape. Blood passes from the left ventricle to the
ascending aorta through the aortic semi-lunar valve. From here some of the blood flows into the coronary arteries,
which branch from the ascending aorta and carry blood to the heart wall. The remainder of the blood travels
throughout the body.