Ninja Nerd

Anatomy of the Heart and Coronary Circulation

Premium Member Resources: https://ninjanerd.org Ninja Nerds! In this lecture, Professor Zach Murphy presents on the Anatomy of the Heart and Coronary Circulation. The session begins with an in-depth digital presentation using professional anatomical illustrations to explore the external and internal structure of the heart, including the fibrous and serous pericardium, the pericardial cavity, and the major surface landmarks. We identify the chambers of the heart and their key external features, including the right atrium with its auricle, the right ventricle with its anterior dominance, the left atrium receiving pulmonary veins, and the left ventricle forming the apex. We then transition inside the heart to examine the flow of blood through the chambers and valves, emphasizing the tricuspid, pulmonic, mitral, and aortic valves and the structural components that keep them competent, including chordae tendineae and papillary muscles. The lecture continues with a detailed walkthrough of the interatrial and interventricular septa, highlighting clinically relevant features such as the fossa ovalis and the membranous septum as a key site for congenital defects and conduction system vulnerability. Next, we break down the heart’s conduction system, tracing the electrical pathway from the SA node to the AV node, through the bundle of His and bundle branches, and into the Purkinje fibers. We connect this anatomy to clinical correlations, including why AV nodal or septal ischemia can produce bradyarrhythmias and heart block patterns. We then focus on the coronary circulation in detail, mapping the right coronary artery and left coronary artery with their major branches, including the right marginal artery, posterior descending artery, left anterior descending artery, and circumflex artery. We emphasize coronary dominance patterns and how they influence which territories are affected during occlusion. Venous drainage is reviewed through the coronary sinus and its main tributaries, tying this to the posterior relationships of the heart and the importance of the atrioventricular groove. We also cover the pericardial and cardiac innervation, reviewing sympathetic and parasympathetic contributions and visceral pain referral patterns that explain typical anginal presentations. To conclude, we transition to @Anatomage where we visualize the heart, pericardium, great vessels, and coronary arteries in real digital cadaveric images, reinforcing the three-dimensional relationships between the heart, lungs, mediastinum, and diaphragm. Enjoy the lecture, and please support us below! Check out @Anatomage | https://anatomage.com/ninjanerds Table of Contents: 0:00 Lab Structural Anatomy 00:56 Layers of the Heart Wall 4:43 Chambers of the Heart 18:42 Valves of the Heart Vascular Supply 23:11 Arteries of the Coronary Circulation 32:32 Veins of the Coronary Circulation Cardiac Conduction System 36:17 Cardiac Conduction Innervation of the Heart 40:24 Sympathetic Innervation (T1-T5 Cardiac Plexus) 41:56 Parasympathetic Innervation (Vagus nerve) Great Vessels and Blood Flow 44:40 Deoxygenated Circuit 47:06 Heart Borders Anatomage Visuals 49:00 Anatomage Heart Anatomy Outro 51:58 Comment, Like, SUBSCRIBE! 🌐 Official Links Website: https://www.ninjanerd.org Podcast: https://podcast.ninjanerd.org Store: https://merch.ninjanerd.org 📱 Social Media https://www.tiktok.com/@ninjanerdlectures https://www.instagram.com/ninjanerdlectures https://www.facebook.com/ninjanerdlectures https://x.com/ninjanerdsci/ https://www.linkedin.com/company/ninja-nerd/ 💬 Join Our Community Discord: https://discord.gg/3srTG4dngW #ninjanerd #anatomy #heart