14
Chapter 2
•
Cardiovascular Care
NORMAL ANATOMY AND CONDUCTION SYSTEM OF THE HEART
Blood enters the heart through the
superior vena cava and inferior vena
cava. The blue arrows show the blood
flow though the right atrium and
right ventricle to the lungs and the
red arrows show the blood flow from
the lungs through the left atrium and
left ventricle to the aorta. Normal
heart sounds are created by closure
of the four valves of the heart. S
1
, the
first heart sound, the “lub,” occurs as
a result of the closure of the tricuspid
and mitral valves. S
2
, the second heart
sound, the “dub,” occurs as a result
of the closure of the pulmonic and
aortic valves.
SA node
AV node
Right bundle
branch
Left bundle
branch
Purkinje
fibers
Bundle of His
Right
ventricle
Left
atrium
Right
atrium
Left
ventricle
Electrical impulses originate in the
SA node, travel to the AV node,
down the bundle of His to the
Purkinje fibers. Blood flow through
the heart and the body is dependent
on synchronization of the electrical
system.
Reprinted with permission from Hinkle JL, Cheever KH.
Brunner &
Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-Surgical Nursing.
13th ed. Philadelphia:
Wolters Kluwer; 2013.
Aortic arch
Descending aorta
Left pulmonary
artery
Left atrium
Aortic valve
Interventricular
septum
Inferior vena cava
Tricuspid valve
Pulmonic valve
Right atrium
Pulmonary veins
Right pulmonary
artery
Interatrial septum
Superior
vena cava
Papillary muscle
Right ventricle
Mitral valve
Left ventricle
Unoxygenated blood
Oxygenated blood
Chordae tendinae
Papillary muscle
Visceral
pericardium
Parietal
pericardium
Pericardial
space
Pulmonary veins
Endocardium
Epicardium
Myocardium
Reprinted with permission from Hinkle JL, Cheever KH.
Brunner & Suddarth’s Textbook of Medical-
Surgical Nursing
. 13th ed. Philadelphia: Wolters Kluwer; 2013.