STEAM Heart Anatomy

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1. This project expands upon the structure of the human heart. A frontal plane cross-section of the heart is drawn with special attention to the internal structures of the atria, ventricles, and pulmonary trunk. Blood vessels which are transporting deoxygenated blood are depicted in blue. These include the superior vena cava which supplies the right atrium with blood from the bodily structures above the diaphragm, the inferior vena cava which brings blood to the right atrium from bodily structures below the diaphragm, and the left and right pulmonary arteries which carry blood from the right ventricle to the left and right lung respectively. In red, are the blood vessels which carry oxygenated blood and the main structures of the heart muscle itself. The vessels include the aorta which carries blood from the left ventricle to the rest of the body, and the left and right pulmonary veins which transport blood from the left and right lung to the left atrium.
   Three of the four cardiac valves can be seen in grey. The tricuspid valve, in the right portion of the heart (the viewer’s left), prevents the backflow of blood from the right ventricle into the right atrium. In the left side of the heart (the viewer’s right) is a bicuspid valve, also called the mitral valve, which prevents the backflow of blood from the left ventricle into the left atrium. Lastly, within the pulmonary artery is the pulmonary valve which prevents blood from flowing back into the right ventricle. The atrioventricular valves cling to the endocardium of the heart, with strings called chordae tendineae. Throughout both ventricles the artist has used shading to depict the trabeculae carneae, the dimpling of the cardiac muscle tissue. With color and texture, this project depicts the structure of the human heart, and emphasizes the picturesque beauty of an efficient organ.

   Danielle Wrenn

   April 19, 2021 at 12:23 am 4 years ago

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