Case study: VSD (to study the blood circulation)

• Biologie
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Case study: ventricular septal defect

Case study set up

1. You are being led through the case with questions and some theory.
2. In the end, you will have learned about the heart and the blood circulation by studying this case.

General information

Arteries = slagaders = blood vessels that carry blood away from the heart

Veins = aders = blood vessel that carry blood towards the heart

Read page 106 and 107 and study the figures

The pulmonary artery...

1. ... goes from the lung to the heart
2. ... goes from the heart to the lung

The aorta is a large artery. Which circulation is the aorta part of?

1. Pulmonary circulation
2. Systemic circulation

Pictures of the heart look like this. But... how to look at it?

1. The right side on the picture is also the right side in the body
2. The right side on the picture is the left side in the body

Our blood circulation is a 'double circulatory system'. What does it mean?

Introduction to VSD

VSD = ventricular septal defect

This is a disorder where the two sides of the heart are connected, while they should be separated.

VSD

On the right, you can see a GIF showing VSD. As said, this defect makes a connection between right and left but it should actually be closed.

First, you are going to study the healty situation. Then, you are going to think about this case.

00:16

The heart is separated into two halves. Why is this important?

00:52

Blood entering the right atrium comes from...

1. ... the right ventricle
2. ... the lungs
3. ... the rest of the body

00:57

Is the blood deoxygenated or oxygenated when it enter the right atrium?

1. It is deoxygated because if comes from the body
2. It is oxygenated because it comes from the lungs
3. It is deoxgenated because it comes from the lungs
4. It is oxygenated because it comes from the body

01:04

Blood entering the left atrium comes from...

1. ... the left ventricle
2. ... the lungs
3. ... the rest of the body

01:09

The left atrium contains oxygated blood. Through which artery does it go the body?

1. The pulmonary artery
2. The aorta
3. The left atrium

01:30

What is the function of heart valves?

Place the labels in the correct place in the picture.

Right atrium

Right ventricle

Left atrium

Left ventricle

Overview

Study the picture on the right. Make sure you understand there the blood goes and where it comes from. The next question will be about this.

What is the correct order, if we follow an oxygen molecule that enters the body? Start at 'the lungs'.

The left ventricle

The right ventricle

The left atrium

The right atrium

The aorta

The lungs

The rest of the body

In this GIF, you can see the VSD and the blood flow.

With VSD, blood can go from the left ventricle to the right ventricle and vice versa. With your knowledge of the blood flow and the heart, explain why this is a problem.