Opening the book…
Introduction
In this lab, we will be learning about the location, anatomy and functions of the heart. If one assumes an average rate of contraction of 75 beats per minute, a human heart would contract approximately 108,000 times in one day, more than 39 million times in one year, and nearly 3 billion times during a 75-year lifespan. Each of the major pumping chambers of the heart ejects approximately 70 mL blood per contraction in a resting adult. This would be equal to 5.25 liters of fluid per minute and approximately 14,000 liters per day. Over one year, that would equal 10,000,000 liters or 2.6 million gallons of blood sent through roughly 60,000 miles of vessels. In order to understand how that happens, In fact, the heart does more physical work than any other muscle over a lifetime.
- Describe the location and position of the heart within the body cavity.
- Identify the external and internal anatomy of the heart, including the four chambers and 4 valves, in models, figures and relate parts to respective location and functions.
- Emphasize on the role of valves in preventing back-flow and ensuring unidirectional blood flow.
- Safely perform a dissection of a mammalian heart, identifying external and internal structures such as the septum, valves, and chordae tendineae and the differences between atrial and ventricular walls and discuss their functional significance.
- Recognize the major blood vessels connected to the heart, such as the aorta, pulmonary trunk, pulmonary arteries, pulmonary veins and coronary vessels to trace the path of blood flow through the heart using the dissected heart and laboratory models.
- Relate observations from the dissection to human cardiovascular health and medical practices.
- Differentiate between the pulmonary and systemic circulation and trace a drop of blood in a cardiac cycle.
- Identify and Relate electrocardiogram (ECG) peaks to the electrical activity, systole/diastole of the heart chambers, and the “lub” and “dub” sounds of the heart beat.
- 6.1: Background Information
- This page highlights the leading cause of death from heart disease in the U.S., particularly its impact on Black populations due to risk factors like obesity and diabetes. It covers the heart's structure, consisting of four chambers, valves, and major blood vessels, emphasizing the dual pump function and blood circulation.
- 6.2: Activity 1
- This page details the anatomy of the human heart, featuring a labeled diagram with eleven major structures like the aorta and vena cava. It includes a table that correlates anatomical names with numbered labels. The content stresses the significance of hands-on laboratory work for grasping heart anatomy, while noting that full participation necessitates a printed version of the materials.
- 6.3: Activity 2
- This page offers a comprehensive anatomical overview of the human heart, featuring a labeled diagram that identifies key structures such as the left pulmonary artery, pulmonary veins, and heart valves. It explains their functions in blood flow, particularly the role of pulmonary veins in carrying oxygenated blood, and underscores the significance of grasping cardiac anatomy for educational and functional understanding.
- 6.4: Activity 3
- This page covers coronary circulation, explaining how the coronary arteries and veins supply blood to the heart muscle. It details the branch of arteries from the aorta that deliver oxygen and the role of veins in returning deoxygenated blood to the right atrium. The importance of a continuous blood supply to prevent heart muscle damage is highlighted, along with anatomical diagrams and tables for identifying heart components.
- 6.5: Activity 4
- This page details the heart's conduction system anatomy, including the SA node, AV node, bundle of His, bundle branches, and Purkinje fibers, essential for electrical impulse generation. It features a labeled diagram of these structures alongside the heart's chambers and valves. Additionally, it notes that the lab necessitates printed materials for full participation due to digital accessibility issues.
- 6.6: Activity 5
- This page describes the dissection of a sheep heart to compare its anatomy with the human heart. It provides a step-by-step guide for groups to identify key structures such as the apex, auricles, ventricles, and major blood vessels. The procedure emphasizes the importance of visualizing and palpating anatomical features and explains the functions of structures like coronary arteries and valves in heart physiology.
- 6.7: Activity 6
- This page provides a detailed guide on heart dissection procedures, highlighting essential anatomical features to document. Students are instructed to photograph the dissected sheep heart with clearly labeled structures and maintain a clean workspace. It also includes analytical questions about heart anatomy, functions, blood flow, and the role of valves and coronary arteries to promote discussion and enhance learning via practical experience.
- 6.8: Glossary
- This page provides an overview of heart anatomy and function, detailing components like veins, arteries, and valves, as well as the electrical conduction system. It discusses the myocardium, pericardium, and cardiac cycle, along with terms like heart rate and conditions like hypertrophic cardiomyopathy.
Thumbnail: Exploring the Mammalian Heart. (CC BY 4.0; via Heart Dissection).
This page titled 6: Exploring the Mammalian Heart- A Hands-On Anatomy Lab was last modified on Sun, 23 Nov 2025 19:31:02 GMT and is shared under a CC BY 4.0 license and was authored, remixed, and/or curated by Lakshmikanta Sengupta and Susmita Sengupta.
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