Sheep Heart

Dissection

SAFETY REMINDERS:
*Scalpels are very sharpalways cut
AWAY from yourself, with no fingers in
the way
*Putting on/taking off scalpels is just
as dangerousask for help if youre
unsure!
*When you have gloves on, dont touch
anything you cant wash---if you touch
your pencil and get formalin on it, then
put that same pencil in your mouth
tomorrow.

1. Gather your dissection equipment and a

sheep heart.
2. Rinse the sheep heart thoroughly with
cold water to remove excess
preservatives and to flush out blood
clots.
3. If the pericardial sac is intact, then
remove the outer layer from its
attachment points.
4. Carefully pull the visceral pericardium
(epicardium) away from the myocardium.
How are the parietal and visceral pericardial
layers different?

5. Examine the external surface of the

heart. Notice the accumulation of
ADIPOSE tissue.
This adipose usually accumulates along
the boundaries of the heart chambers
and along the coronary arteries.
Remove as much adipose as possible.
Now you should be able to identify the
APEX (bottom left "point" of the heart)
and the AURICLES (earlike flaps
projecting from the atria).
Carefully scrape away a little adipose tissue
so you can see the coronary arteries.

Anterior view
Right auricle

Pulmonary
trunk

Right atrium
Left auricle
Left atrium
Right ventricle

Interventricular
septum
Left ventricle

Superior view
Superior vena
cava

Aorta

Pulmonary
trunk

Pulmonary
vein

5. Squeeze each ventricle.

Which is thicker?
Thats the LEFT VENTRICLEWhys it
thicker than the right?
Pumps blood to the entire body, through the
systemic circuit
The right ventricle pumps only to the lungs
through the pulmonary circuit.

6. Locate the PULMONARY

TRUNK & AORTA on the
superior aspect of the heart.
The pulmonary trunk divides
into the left and right
pulmonary arteries.
The aorta will be thicker walled
and be just behind the
pulmonary trunk.
Clear the adipose away from
these arteries.

LIGAMENTUM
ARTERIOSUM
(bypasses the lungs in
fetus, ductus
arteriosus, pulmonary
trunk and aorta
connection)

10.Pulmonary trunkcut
through
trunk
anterior wall until you see WHICH
valve?

PULMONARY SEMILUNAR VALVE

Extend the cut through pulm trunk into
Rt ventricle

SCISSORS CUT down/around/up through AV valvecut alongside

the probe to see internal right atrium and WHICH valve?

TRICUSPID

9. Probe into the superior vena cava

through right atrium out the inferior vena cava

(RIGHT ATRIOVENTRICULAR VALVE)

Frontal section
Right atrium
Tricuspid AV
valve (chordae
tendinae,
muscles
Right ventricle
w/thinner
myocardium
Interventricular
septum

Pulmonary trunk via

pulmonary SL valve
Pulmonary veins into
left atrium
Bicuspid AV
valve
w/chordae
tendinae,
papillary
muscles

Aortic SL
valve, out aorta

Left ventricle
w/thicker
myocardium

11. Pin back the cut edges of superior vena

cava, right atrium, right ventricle

12.Right ventriclepapillary muscles,

chordae tendineae, tricuspid valve

Dispose of solid matter in

biohazard bag
Wash ALL PINS, TRAYS,
INSTRUMENTS, return to proper
place.
Glovesdispose of in biohazard
bag.
WASH HANDS

Sheep heart website

http://www.gwc.maricopa.edu/class/bio202/
heart/anthrt.htm