Download Sheep Heart Dissection

SHEEP’S HEART DISSECTION LAB
name:
date:
(partner):
1. Put on gloves and goggles.
2. Set up a table lamp. Obtain a dissecting kit, a dissecting tray, and a sheep’s heart.
3. Rinse the heart off with warm water.
4. Examine the external anatomy of the heart including size and the nature of the tissues. Observe the
adipose tissue and the coronary blood vessels. Identify the apex.
5. Look for major blood vessels bringing blood into and out of the heart. Snip away and extraneous tissue,
potentially from the pericardial sac. Identify ventricles and atria.
6. Orient the heart identifying right and left side and the anterior/ventral and posterior/dorsal sides.
7. Find the pulmonary artery. Probe into blood vessel to help ID the right ventricle. ID all four chambers.
8. ID entrance of superior and inferior vena cava, aorta, and entrance of pulmonary veins.
9. Make first diagonal incision, through pulmonary artery into right ventricle. Incision should be parallel
to coronary blood vessels. Incision should be about 0.5 cm deep.
10. Open up sides of right ventricle. Notice smoothness of lining. Wiggle flaps of tricuspid valve. Probe
into right atrium. Look for three flaps of the semilunar valves in the pulmonary trunk.
11. Make second vertical incision from left atrium to left ventricle on lateral side of heart. Open up both
chambers. Look for both flaps of bicuspid valve. Probe through valve into aorta.
12. Measure the thickness of each ventricle.
13. Dispose of heart in receptacle. Rinse and dry tools. Wash tray, invert and stack to dry.
14. Wash hands.
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