Vascularization of the heart
The heart (Cor) is a hollow muscular organ that plays a central role in the vascular supply of the body (vascular supply heart). As a pump, it transports oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs (pulmo), where the blood is enriched with oxygen. The heart then pumps the oxygen-rich blood back into the body’s circulation.
The heart itself is supplied by two coronary arteries (arteriae coronariae). The right side of the heart is supplied by the right coronary artery (right coronary artery, arteria coronaria dextra), while the left side of the heart is supplied by the left coronary artery (left coronary artery, arteria coronaria sinistra). Both coronary arteries leave the main artery (aorta) immediately after it emerges from the heart.
This ensures that the heart is supplied with particularly oxygen-rich blood. In addition to the right part of the heart, the right coronary artery supplies the anterior third of the cardiac septum, the sinus node and the AV node (atrioventricular node). (The left coronary artery initially divides into the ramus circumflexus and the ramus interventricularis anterior).Depending on which of the two coronary arteries takes over the main supply of the heart, one speaks of the left-ventricular supply type (in the case of main supply through the left coronary artery), the right-ventricular supply type (in the case of main supply through the right coronary artery) and in the case of normal supply, the intermediary type. The venous blood of the heart flows through three main branches, the vena cardia parva, media and magna, into the coronary vein sinus (sinus coronarius). The coronary vein sinus, together with the superior and inferior vena cava, opens into the right atrium (atrium dextrum) (vascular supply of the heart).
Vascularization of the pericardium
The pericardium surrounds the heart and serves as a sliding space. The arterial supply (vascular supply heart) is provided by the diaphragmatic artery (arteria pericardiacophrenica), which originates from the internal thoracic artery. The venous outflow is via the diaphragmatic pericardiac vein (Vena pericardiacophrenica) into the internal thoracic vein (Vena thoracica interna), which finally opens into the superior vena cava (Vena cava superior) (vascular supply heart).
