PSIO 485 Study Guide - Midterm Guide: Mitral Valve, Tricuspid Valve, Pulmonary Circulation
26 Sep 2016
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Learning objectives: describe the heart as one organ. Then describe the heart as two separate organs. Anatomically, the heart is a single organ, but the left and right sides of the heart function as two separate pumps. Importance of the valves is so that blood flow moves in one direction. Heart valves make it so blood does not move backwards. If heart valves did not exist then: what are the two connections that allow the heart to work as a functional. Describe the similarities and the differences between them. The two connections that allow the heart to work as a functional syncytia are the desmosomes and the gap junctions. Intercalated disc- individual cardiac muscle cells are interconnected to form branching fibers, with adjacent cells joined end to end at specialized structures know as intercalated discs. The desmosomes anchor the cardiac muscles together during contraction.
