The Mighty Heart
The mighty human heart.Copyright (left) 2005 EKKO and (right) 2007 Stanwhit607, Wikimedia Commons http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Heart_frontally_PDA.jpg http://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/File:Humhrt2.jpg
Students learn about the form and function of the human heart through the dissection of sheep hearts. They learn about the different parts of the heart and are able to identify the anatomical structures and compare them to the all of the structural components of the human heart they learned about in the associated lesson.
Engineers are very involved in designing and testing new materials to improve quality of life and prolong human life expectancy. For example, biomedical engineers develop and test new materials to replace faulty heart valves. Biomedical engineers who design technologies to help patients with cardiovascular diseases must understand the structure and functions of the heart, including how blood flows through the heart, and the stresses that this imparts on heart tissue.
After this lesson, students should be able to:
- Identify the parts of the human heart on a diagram and with biological specimens, specifically, the left and right ventricles, left and right atria, interventricular septum, the mitral, tricuspid, pulmonary, and aortic valves, pericardium (if present), valve leaflets, and aorta.
- Describe blood flow through the human heart, elaborating on what role each part of the heart plays in this process.
- Define key terms associated with the heart and its function, including the endocardium, myocardium, regurgitation, pericardium, valve, blood flow.