Case study: heart attack and arrythmia

• Biologie
• Middelbare school
• vwo
• Leerjaar 3

Case 1: heart attack

Explain the difference between arteries and veins.

Is the aorta an artery of a vein? Explain your answer.

Coronary blood vessel

Like everything else in the body, the heart needs oxygen. It gets oxygen through its own blood vessels. Those come from the aorta and are called coronary arteries. When has brought oxygen to the heart muscle, the deoxygenated blood goes back the right atrium. The vessels that bring blood back are called coronary veins.

Are coronary arteries carrying oxygen-rich or oxygen-poor blood?

To which circulation do the coronary arteries and veins belong?

1. The pulmonary circulation
2. The systemic circulation

Look at the picture. You see the coronary artery being blocked causing a heart attack. Explain in your own words what happens with a heart attack.

Case 2: arrythmia

Heart contaction

Contraction = tensing the muscle

Heart contraction happens in different phases. This causes the blood to flow from atria to ventricles, into the arteries.

Put the texts underneath the corresponding picture.

Cardiac pause - heart fills with blood

Atria contract

Cardiac pause - heart fills even more with blood

Ventricles contract

Blood flows into arteries

Explain what arrythmia is and why it is a problem.

Homework

1. Do the worksheet
2. The finished workshoot will be your entry ticket to the next lesson