NSE 13A/B Lecture Notes - Lecture 3: Edema, Trachea, Internal Jugular Vein
15 Apr 2016
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Document Summary
Precordium: area on anterior chest overlying heart & great vessels. Mediastinum: heart & great vessels are located between the lungs in the middle third of the thoracic cage. Great vessels: major arteries & veins connected to the heart. Heart: extends from levels of the 2nd to the 5th intercostal spaces & from the right border of the sternum to the left midclavicular line. Positioning (think of the heart as upside-down triangle in the chest) Base: the top of the heart & broader, anterior. Apex: bottom of heart, points down and left, posterior. During contraction, apex beats against chest wall = apical impulse (palpable in most people @ 5th intercostal space, midclavicular line) Great vessels: lie bunched above base of heart: inferior and superior venae cavae automatic low return unoxygenated venous blood to right side of heart. Arches back at level of sternal angle.
