NURS 3311 Chapter Notes - Chapter 19: Pancreatitis, Hemoptysis, Referred Pain
Document Summary
Health assessment chapter 19: heart and neck vessels. Precordium= the area on the anterior chest directly overlying the heart and great vessels. Great vessels: major arteries and veins connected to the heart. Lie bunched above the base of the heart. Superior and inferior vena cava: return unoxygenated venous blood to the right side of the heart. Pulmonary artery: leaves the right ventricle, bifurcates, and carries the venous blood to the lungs. Pulmonary veins: return the freshly oxygenated blood to the left side of the heart. Aorta: caries oxygenated blood out to the body. Ascends from the left ventricle, arches back at the level of the sternal angle, and descends behind the heart. Pericardium: a tough, fibrous, double-walled sac that surrounds and protects the heart. Adheres to the great vessels, esophagus, sternum, and pleurae, and is anchored to the diaphragm. Endocardium: the thin layer of endothelial tissue that lines the inner surface of the heart chambers and valves.
