ANAESTHESIA

1. Describe the anatomy of the Aorta to include all the arteries that arise from it. (8
marks)

Aorta and its arteries

The aorta is the main artery that carries blood away from your heart to the rest of your body.
After the blood leaves the heart through the aortic valve, it travels through the Aorta, making
cane shaped curve that connects with other major arteries to deliver oxygen–rich blood to the
brain, muscles and other cells.

2. Describe the Nervous system supply to the heart. (5 marks)

The nervous supply to the heart is autonomic, consisting both sympathetic and
parasympathetic parts.

Sympathetic fibres arise from the pressor centre, while the parasympathetic in the depressor
centre.
Parasympathetic Fibres prepares the body for the fight or flight response during any potential
danger causing contractions on the muscles whereas parasympathetic fibres relaxes the
muscles inhibiting the body from overworking and restores the body to calm and composed
state.

3. Describe the anatomy of the arteries of the upper limb, lower limb, neck and head.

(12marks)

The upper limb has 5 main vessels; Subclavian, axillary, branchial, radial and Ulnar arteries.
Subclavian, brachial and axillary arteries are continuous with one another with brachial
artery bifurcating into the radial and ulnar arteries which later converge in the hand.

The arterial supply of the lower limbs originates from the arterial iliac artery. The common
femoral artery is the direct continuation of the external iliac artery, beginning at the level of
the inguinal ligament.

ONLY 2 carotid arteries supply blood to the neck i.e Right carotid and left carotid arteries.

Each carotid artery then branches into an internal carotid artery and external carotid artery.

However, one pair is located either side of the neck.

The brain receives blood from two sources; internal carotid artery, which arise at the point in
the neck where the common carotid arteries bifurcate and the vertebral arteries. The internal
carotid arteries branch to form two major cerebral arteries, anterior and middle cerebral
arteries.

The posterior auricular occipital and superficial temporal arteries along with two branches of
internal carotid artery; support-orbital and supratrochlear) combine to form dense blood.

4. Define the following terms;

Cardiac Output; also known as heart output which describes the volume of blood being
pumped by the heart, by left and right ventricles per unit time.
Stroke volume.

It’s the amount of blood pumped from the left ventricles per beat.

Pre lead

Is the amount of sarcomere stretch experienced by cardiac muscle cells at the end of
ventricular filling during diastole.

After load

It is the pressure that the heart must work against to eject blood during systole.

End-diastolic pressure

It is the pressure within the left ventricle following the completion of diastolic filling, just
prior to systole.

Central venues pressure

This is the blood pressure in the venal cavae, near the right atrium of the heart.