Download Heart dissection - School

Heart Dissection
.
Heart dissection
• For this practical session you will need
• Some newspaper so nothing goes on the
bench
• Scissors or scalpel
• Good observational skills
• Your sensible head on!!!
Your heart probably looks like this. There is lots
to be seen from the outside, so spend time
examining it carefully.
The creamy/white stuff on
the outside is fat. This will
give some protection for
the heart, but too much is
bad. Look at the faint lines
on the outside, these are
coronary arteries and
veins, these supply the
heart itself with blood. If
they get blocked that can
cause a heart attack.
The flappy bits on the
top are the 2 atria,
this is where blood
from the body and
lungs comes into the
heart
Now feel the heart! Give it a squeeze!
The browny red bit is muscle. See if
you can feel the difference between
the 2 sides. The left ventricle has thick
muscle, so it can pump blood all
around the body. The right ventricle
has thinner walls because it only has
to pump blood to the lungs (not far).
Which is right, which is left??
• Make sure you know this before doing any
cutting.
• Between the right and left side is a wall of
muscle, (interventricular septum) this is so the
blood doesn’t mix. Blood on the left will
contain oxygen, blood on the right won’t.
Now the cutting!
Look at the heart from the top to work
out left/right
Now the cutting!!
• Actually this isn’t that exciting.
• Try to cut the heart in half so that you can see
both the right and left sides. Its tricky so take
care!!
Beware blood clots!
Don’t worry, this will have happened after the
animal died when the blood stopped flowing.
Stringy bits?
These are
commonly called
the heart strings.
They are really
strong and they
stop the heart
valves from turning
inside out.
Clearing up
• Make sure that everything goes in the black
bin bag
• Check there is nothing on the bench
• Wash your hands with Miss Boothman’s
special soap.
• Now complete the work.
Copy and complete
Heart dissection
The heart I looked at was about as big as ______.
Most of the heart is made of __________. On the
outside there are arteries and veins which can
cause a ________ ______ if they get blocked.
There is some white coloured _____ on the
outside which protects it. There are ______ sides
to the heart, they are separated by a wall of
_______. This stops the blood with oxygen mixing
with the blood without oxygen. The _____ side of
the heart is thicker because it has to pump blood
all _________ the body.
Extension Work/Homework
• Write a letter to an older person to explain
how their heart works and why they must look
after it. Maybe use pictures?