Objective 30: Understand how heart valves ensure one-way blood flow during systole and diastole

Where would we be without heart valves? My best guess would be that our heart wouldn't complete systole and diastole correctly, and our heart wouldn't be able to function. Which means a very bad day! The valves in our heart ensure one-way flow of blood, and that is very important to its function! Without these valves the blood flow would back flow into other sections of the heart that they aren't suppose to be in, for example back into the atrium from the ventricles. The textbook was a great reference, and the lecture outline was a great summary of the hearts valves. When I was looking for a good diagram to back-up the textbook's information, I referred to chapter 17 pages 587-588 which provided a diagram of the AV valves and another diagram of the semilunar valves. Each diagram shows the direction of the blood flow into the heart and the blood flow through the valves. They describe how the valves are either forced open or stay closed to make sure that the blood flows one way and does not backflow. These photos were all I needed to understand this concept and I'm glad they were apart of my textbook.

Objective 25, 26, & 28: Physiology, Cardiac cycle, and ECG

Objective 25: Recall physiology of heart and blood vessels
Objective 26: Review the cardiac cycle as it relates to the electrical conducting system
Objective 28: Explain the meaning of an electrocardiogram and its diagnostic importance


Although the textbook gave some wonderful information about ECGs and the physiology of heart and blood vessels, it still was alot of information to wrap my head around. There were two diagrams from the textbook that helped me out with understanding the deflection waves of an ECG tracing (Chapter 17 page 595) and the summary of events during the cardiac cycle (Chapter 17 page 597). The textbook provided alot of detailed information of these two process, but all the information was making my head spin. So I started looking around on the internet and found two different videos that not only accurately summarized ECGs, cardiac cycle, and physiology but it provided animated diagrams. These animated diagrams, along with the information with the text book, allowed me to have a better understanding and I don't feel as lost. This first video is a little more simple and basically goes over the physiology of the heart and vessels and describes the meaning of an ECG.

The second video called Your Heart's Electrical Sysyem is a little more informative, and does a great job of explaining how the cardiac cycle relates to the electrical conducting system. I really wish that this video would have shown up on the site, but either way I was really glad that I came across it. An electrocardiogram is an important tool because it is a test that checks for problems with the electrical activity of the heart. Without it, we wouldn't be able to find out heart problems we may have or problems with the heart's conduction system.

Objective 29, & 33: Heart and Blood vessels

Objective 29:Compare the structure and function of arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins Objective 33: Describe the role of skeletal muscle contractions and venous valves in returning blood to the heart


When I was trying to understand the structure and functions of the arteries, arterioles, capillaries, venules, and veins , it almost overwhelmed me. I never realized how much there was to our bodies amazing system. My thought taking anatomy was that our body just had these set of veins and arteries that helped moved oxygen and carbon dioxide through our blood, but I never realized how much they branched off and how each one functions differently. I found a chart in Chapter 18 page 608 that summarized the structure of all of these vessels and it gave me a better understand on what they look like in our body, and I was also able to understand better on how each one functions. Another diagram that really broke down the structure of veins and arteries was found on page 606, and it helped to see the differents layers they consisted of. Along with the diagrams from our textbook, the lecture outlines were a great help in summarizing the functions on all 5 of the vessels. Arteries carry oxygenated (oxygen rich) blood away from the heart to the rest of the body. Veins do the opposite it seems, and carries deoxgenated (oxygen-poor) blood from the tissues to the heart and sends the blood through the pulmonary system to be oxygenated again. Arterioles lead to capillary beds and control the flow into the capillary beds via vasodilation and vasoconstriction. Capillaries are responsible for the exchange of gases, hormones, nutrients, wastes, etc.. Venules drain blood from capillaries into veins for the return to the heart.

When I was trying to understand what the role of skeletal muscle contractions and venous valves had to do with returning blood back to the heart, I came up with a blank. When I came across the diagram in chapter 18 page 614, it was like a light bulb came on and I felt really stupid for thinking that the concept was hard. I made it alot harder than it really was. The picture was extremely helpful and allowed me to see how the skeletal muscle effects the venous valves. Basically, the contracting skeletal muscle presses against a vein which causes the valves near the area to be forced open. Blood then goes toward the heart and the valves distal to the contracted area are closed by backflow blood. The concept was so easy, and it is also a very important adaptation of veins.

Objective 31 & 32: Aorta and the Vena Cavas

Objective 31: Locate major arteries brancing off the aorta and regions of the body they supply blood to
Objective 32: Identify the major veins draining into the superior and inferior vena cavae


When I was trying to figure out these two objectives about the aorta and vena cavae, the end of chapter 18 was a HUGE help. It couldn't have been put any simpler. From pages 632-643, the textbook discussed the aorta and all the major arteries of the systemic circulation. This portion not only briefly discusses the major arteries, but it provides charts of where they all are in the body. The two charts that were most beneficial to me in understanding objetive 31 was the schematic flowchart on page 632 and the body's anterior view of the major arteries of the systemic circulation. Personally, I think the body's anterior view of all the major veins in the body was more helpful than the flow chart because I am able to see where certain veins are in relation to one another. I don't have to visualize where they may be located, I can actually see where they are and what portion of the body they reside in. The flowchart is still helpful though, because the diagram uses arrows to show where the arteries branch off at and share what part of body they supply blood to. On pages 644-652, the textbook starts to talk about the venae cavae and the major veins of the systemic circulation. This section also provides charts that show different regions of the body and the main veins that it houses. The pictures that aided me in understading the major veins draining into the superior and inferior vena cavae because it also provided not only the body's anterior view of the veins, but it also gave a schematic flowchart of the major veins. Along with these two charts, the book provides a description of the superior and inferior vena cavae and talks about the veins that drain into them. I overlooked this section at first because I didn't view it as important, but now i'm glad that it was included because it was beneficial. The visuals helped me see where the veins are in relation to the rest of the body and the flow chart helped me to see what veins actually drained into the vena cavaes.

Objective 27: Listen to heart sounds

This objective was pretty easy to learn, since I listen to heart sounds everyday as a certified nursing assistant. I took the C.N.A course about a year and a half ago through T.C.L continuing education, and the course is where I learned how to listen to heart sounds using a stethoscope. Beside our course online, I had to complete a couple skills classes and we took turns listening to each others heartbeats. My class performed clinicals at Bayview Nursing Home. We were required to use to the stethoscope to listen to our assigned patients heartbeat and to hear the systolic and diastolic beats of the blood pressure. I currently work as a C.N.A. at NHC nursing home in Bluffton, so it was beneficial that I've had prior experience listening to heart sounds. In our A & P II class this semester, I had a lab that required us to use the stethoscope and listen to different parts of another classmate's chest to hear the aortic valve, pulmonary valve, mitral valve, and tricuspid valve. This was helpful to me because I didn't know that by placing the stethoscope by different valves of the heart produced different heart sounds. This lab helped reinforce the information that I had previously learned in my C.N.A. course.

Objective 23 & 24: Vessels and Structure of the Heart

23: Identify major vessels entering and leaving the heart
24: Describe the structures of the heart

Anterior View



Posterior View

Interior Structure

Dissecting the heart in lab

When trying to learn the major vessels and structures of the heart, it was very beneficial for me to view diagrams of the anterior, posterior and internal structures of the heart. Viewing the diagrams allowed me to see the major vessels that are entering and leaving the heart and also allowed me to see the structures of the heart because of how the diagrams were labeled. Another way that helped me understand the heart better was dissection in lab. When i was able to cut into the heart and see the structures of it with my own eyes, it made it easier to remember. It was also interesting because I was able to put my forcepts through the heart vessels and see the chambers it entered and where the vessel exited the heart.