Anatomy

Aorta- The main trunk of the systemic arteries, carrying blood from the left side of the heart to the arteries of all limbs and organs except the lungs.

Arterioles- One of the small terminal branches of an artery, especially one that connects with a capillary.

Artery- Any of the muscular elastic tubes that form a branching system and that carry blood away from the heart to the cells, tissues, and organs of the body.

Bundle of His- The bundle of cardiac muscle fibers that passes from the atrioventricular node to the interventricular septum and then the ventricles. It conducts the electrical impulses that regulate the heartbeat from the right atrium to the left and right ventricles. The bundle of His is named after its discoverer, German cardiologist Wilhelm His

Capillaries- One of the minute blood vessels that connect arterioles and venules. These blood vessels form an intricate network throughout the body for the interchange of various substances, such as oxygen and carbon dioxide, between blood and tissue cells.

Heart vocabulary:

Inferior vena cava- receives blood from lower limbs and abdominal organs and empties into the posterior part of the right atrium of the heart; formed from the union of the two iliac veins

Left atrium-  the left upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the pulmonary veins

Mitral valve- A valve of the heart, composed of two triangular flaps, that is located between the left atrium and left ventricle and regulates blood flow between these chambers

Pulmonary- Having lungs or lunglike organ

Purkinge fibers-  are located in the inner ventricular walls of the heart, just beneath theendocardium. These fibers are specialized myocardial fibers that conduct an electrical stimulus or impulse that enables the heart to contract in a coordinated fashion.

Right atrium-  the right upper chamber of the heart that receives blood from the venae cavae and coronary sinus

Septum- A thin partition or membrane that...