Skip to main content Accessibility help
×
Hostname: page-component-586b7cd67f-2brh9 Total loading time: 0 Render date: 2024-11-25T21:43:33.375Z Has data issue: false hasContentIssue false

Chapter 3 - Anatomy of the Cardiac Chambers

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  10 April 2024

Robert H. Anderson
Affiliation:
Institute of Genetic Medicine, Newcastle University
Andrew C. Cook
Affiliation:
University College London
Diane E. Spicer
Affiliation:
University of Florida
Anthony M. Hlavacek
Affiliation:
Medical University of South Carolina
Carl L. Backer
Affiliation:
Cincinnati Children's Hospital
Justin T. Tretter
Affiliation:
Cleveland Clinic, Ohio
Get access

Summary

Regardless of the surgical approach, once having entered the mediastinum, the surgeon will be confronted by the heart enclosed in its pericardial sac. In the strict anatomical sense, this sac has two layers, one fibrous and the other serous. From a practical point of view, the pericardium is essentially the tough fibrous layer, since the serous component forms the lining of the fibrous sac, and is reflected back onto the surface of the heart as the epicardium. It is the fibrous sac, therefore, which encloses the mass of the heart. By virtue of its own attachments to the diaphragm, it helps support the heart within the mediastinum. Free-standing around the atrial chambers and the ventricles, the sac becomes adherent to the adventitial coverings of the great arteries and veins at their entrances to and exits from it, these attachments closing the pericardial cavity.1

Type
Chapter
Information
Publisher: Cambridge University Press
Print publication year: 2024

Access options

Get access to the full version of this content by using one of the access options below. (Log in options will check for institutional or personal access. Content may require purchase if you do not have access.)

References

References Cited

Mori, S, Bradfield, JS, Peacock, WJ, Anderson, RH, Shivkumar, K. Living anatomy of the pericardial space: a guide for imaging and interventions. Clin Electrophysiol 2021; 7: 16281644.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, KR, Ho, SY, Anderson, RH. The location and vascular supply of the sinus node in the human heart. Br Heart J 1979; 41: 2832.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
James, TN. Anatomy of the Coronary Arteries. New York: Hoeber; 1961: pp. 103106.Google Scholar
McAlpine, WA. Heart and Coronary Arteries. An Anatomical Atlas for Clinical Diagnosis, Radiological Investigation and Surgical Treatment. New York: Springer-Verlag; 1975: p. 152.Google Scholar
Busquet, J, Fontan, F, Anderson, RH, Ho, SY, Davies, MJ. The surgical significance of the atrial branches of the coronary arteries. Int J Cardiol 1984; 6: 223234.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Barra Rossi, M, Ho, SY, Anderson, RH, Rossi Filho, RI, Lincoln, C. Coronary arteries in complete transposition: the significance of the sinus node artery. Ann Thorac Surg 1986; 42: 573577.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, RH, Sánchez-Quintana, D, Spicer, DE, Farré, J, Sternick, EB. How does the cardiac impulse pass from the sinus to the atrioventricular node? Heart Rhythm 2022; 19: 17381746.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, RH, Webb, S, Brown, NA. Clinical anatomy of the atrial septum with reference to its developmental components. Clin Anat 1999; 12: 362374.3.0.CO;2-F>CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Jensen, B, Spicer, DE, Sheppard, MN, Anderson, RH. Development of the atrial septum in relation to postnatal anatomy and interatrial communications. Heart. 2017; 103: 456462.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Tretter, JT, Spicer, DE, Sánchez-Quintana, D, et al. Miniseries 1 – part III: ‘behind the scenes’ in the triangle of Koch. EP Europace 2022; 24: 455463.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
James, TN. The connecting pathways between the sinus node and the A-V node and between the right and the left atrium in the human heart. Am Heart J 1963; 66: 498508.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Anderson, RH, Ho, SY. Anatomic criteria for identifying the components of the axis responsible for atrioventricular conduction. J Cardiovasc Electrophysiol 2001; 12: 12651268.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Janse, MJ, Anderson, RH. Internodal atrial specialised pathways – fact or fiction? Eur J Cardiol 1974; 2: 117137.Google Scholar
Anderson, RH, Ho, SY, Smith, A, Becker, AE. The internodal atrial myocardium. Anat Rec 1981; 201: 7582.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Gerbode, F, Hultgren, H, Melrose, D, Osborn, J. Syndrome of left ventricular-right atrial shunt. Ann Surg 1958; 148: 433446.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
McFadden, PM, Culpepper, WS, Ochsner, JL. Iatrogenic right ventricular failure in tetralogy of Fallot repairs: reappraisal of a distressing problem. Ann Thor Surg 1982; 33: 400402.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RH, Garbi, M, Zugwitz, D, Petersen, SE, Nijveldt, R. Anatomy of the mitral valve relative to controversies concerning the so-called annular disjunction. Heart 2023; 109: 734739.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Anderson, RH, Frater, RWM. Editorial. How can we best describe the components of the mitral valve? J Heart Valve Dis 2006; 15: 736739.Google ScholarPubMed
Breyer, RH, Lavender, S, Cordell, AR. Delayed left ventricular rupture secondary to transatrial left ventricular vent. Ann Thorac Surg 1982; 3: 189191.CrossRefGoogle Scholar
Macías, Y, Tretter, JT, Sánchez‐Quintana, D, et al. The atrioventricular conduction axis and the aortic root – inferences for transcatheter replacement of the aortic valve. Clin Anat 2022; 35: 143154.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Toh, H, Mori, S, Tretter, JT, et al. Living anatomy of the ventricular myocardial crescents supporting the coronary aortic sinuses. Sem Thorac Cardiovasc Surg 2020; 32: 230241.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed
Sutton, JPIII, Ho, SY, Anderson, RH. The forgotten interleaflet triangles: a review of the surgical anatomy of the aortic valve. Ann Thorac Surg 1995; 59: 419427.CrossRefGoogle ScholarPubMed

Save book to Kindle

To save this book to your Kindle, first ensure [email protected] is added to your Approved Personal Document E-mail List under your Personal Document Settings on the Manage Your Content and Devices page of your Amazon account. Then enter the ‘name’ part of your Kindle email address below. Find out more about saving to your Kindle.

Note you can select to save to either the @free.kindle.com or @kindle.com variations. ‘@free.kindle.com’ emails are free but can only be saved to your device when it is connected to wi-fi. ‘@kindle.com’ emails can be delivered even when you are not connected to wi-fi, but note that service fees apply.

Find out more about the Kindle Personal Document Service.

Available formats
×

Save book to Dropbox

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Dropbox.

Available formats
×

Save book to Google Drive

To save content items to your account, please confirm that you agree to abide by our usage policies. If this is the first time you use this feature, you will be asked to authorise Cambridge Core to connect with your account. Find out more about saving content to Google Drive.

Available formats
×