The anterior aspect of the dog (A), Pig (B), and Sheep

(C) hearts.
• The apex is formed by the left ventricle in these
hearts.
• The dog heart is much more rounded than the pig
and sheep and has a blunt apex.
• The pig heart has more of a valentine shape with
a somewhat blunt apex compared to the sheep
heart.
• The sheep heart is much more conical in shape
and has a much more pronounced apex than the
dog or pig hearts.
• There is a significant amount of epicardial fat on
the sheep heart compared to dog and pig hearts

*LA (Left atrium)

LV (Left ventricle)
RA (Right atrium)
RV (Right ventricle)
Heart, cow
Healthy bovine heart.
Illustration by Dr. Gheorghe
Constantinescu.
THE PERICARDIUM
• The pericardium, or heart sac, is the fibroserous covering of the heart.
• It is essentially a deeply invaginated sac, with its lumen, the pericardial cavity (cavum
pericardii), being reduced to a capillary cleft.
• Pericardial cavity is a potential space between the visceral and parietal layers of serous
pericardium. It has approximately one ml. of yellow fluid between the contacting layers,
which acts as a lubricant to allow the heart freedom of movement during contraction.
• This cleft contains a small amount of serous fluid (liquor pericardii) ( for lubrication) which
facilitates the movement of the heart against the pericardium
• Functions of pericardium:
• Structurally supports the heart in the thorax, preventing excessive motion of the heart
• Protects the heart from neoplasia and infections.
• The heart is invaginated into the pericardium much as would occur if one thrusts a fist
into the side of an inflated balloon.
 DIVISION OF
PERICARDIUM
The pericardium can be divided into a central fibrous and an outer
and inner serous part.
1)Fibrous pericardium- a tough sac surrounding the serous pericardium,
the heart, and the pericardial cavity.
• It is closed above by its attachment to the great vessels of the heart.
● sternopericardiac ligament (ligamentum sternopericardiacum)-
connects the pericardium to the floor of the thorax
● phrenopericardiac ligament (ligamentum phrenicopericardiacum)-
connects the pericardium to the diaphragm.
2)Serous pericardium- a serous membrane forming a closed cavity. It
covers the heart (visceral layer) and lines the surface of the fibrous
pericardial sac (parietal layer).
The serous pericardium can be divided into two distinct layers:
• Visceral pericardium or epicardium–the inner layer which is intimately
adherent to the outer surface of the heart
• Parietal pericardium – the outer layer, is continuous with the visceral
layer at the base of the heart
• The pericardium is only able to
accommodate a small degree of
distension during the rhythmic pulsation
of the cardiac cycle.
• Rapid accumulation of fluid within the
pericardial cavity exerts pressure on the
heart and impairs cardiac function
(cardiac tamponade).
• Long-term changes either in heart size,
seen with training and disease, or a slow
build-up of effusion in the pericardial
cavity, are better tolerated and may result
in an enlargement of the pericardium.
• Inflammation of the pericardium results in
an increase in pericardial fluid and
thickness of the sac. In these cases, the
pericardial fluid can be visualized
ultrasonographically as an anechoic
region.
POSITION OF THE HEART

• Horse
• The pericardium at the apex of the heart is attached to the middle part of the posterior half of
the dorsal face of the sternum.
• The area of contact on the left side extends from the third rib to the sixth intercostal space
and on the right from the third intercostal space to the fifth rib.
• Dog
• The pericardium is attached to the sternal part of the diaphragm by a fibrous band the
pericardiaco-phrenic ligament and is connected to the sternum only by mediastinal pleura.
• The area of contact is chiefly ventral.
• Fowl
• The pericardium is thin and membranous.
• It is related to the lobes of the liver laterally, sternum below and trachea and esophagus
dorsally.
LAYERS OF
THE HEART
• Epicardium: a thin layer of mesothelium
covering the surface of the heart. The
epicardium is the visceral layer of the serous
pericardium.
• Endocardium: a thin mesothelial layer lining
the atria and ventricles. This layer is continuous
with the endothelium lining the great vessels
entering and leaving the heart.
• Myocardium: the muscle layer making up the
majority of the thickness of the heart wall. It is
between the endocardium and epicardium
 • RIGHT VENTRICLE OF HEART

• The right ventricle forms the anterior part of the ventricular mass and forms the anterior border of the heart. It does
not reach the apex of the heart. It is triangular in outline and crescentric on cross section.

• It communicates above at the base with the right atrium through the right atrio- ventricular orifice but its left part
projects higher forming the conus arteriosus from which the pulmonary artery arises. The apex of the right ventricle
is two inches above the apex of the heart. The septal wall is convex and faces obliquely forward and to the right.

Chambers of •

•
RIGHT ATRIUM (RIGHT AURICLE) OF HEART

The right atrium forms the right anterior part of the base and is above the right ventricle. It consists of a

Heart
principal cavity called the sinus venarum and a blind diverticulum called the auricle or auricular appendix. The
sinus venarum is the cavity into which the veins open. The auricle curves around the anterior face of the aorta
and its blind end appears in front of the origin of the pulmonary artery.

• LEFT ATRIUM OF HEART

• The left atrium forms the posterior part of the base of the heart. It lies behind the pulmonary artery and aorta and
above the ventricle. It consists of a sinus and an auricle.

• LEFT VENTRICLE OF HEART

• The left ventricle forms the left posterior part of the ventricular mass. It is more regularly conical and its wall is much
thicker than the right ventricle.

• It forms the entire posterior contour of the heart and carries the apex of the heart. The base is continuous with the
left atrium and the aorta.

• It is circular on cross section. The cavity appears smaller than that of the right ventricle in the dead animal on
account of the great contraction of its wall.
BLOOD
CIRCULATORY
SYSTEM
LAYERS OF ARTERIES
AND VEINS
• Arteries and veins are made up of three layers or
tunics: tunica intima, tunica media and tunica
adventitia.
• The tunica intima is the internal one, in contact
with the blood, and it is constituted of a squamous
simple epithelium (endothelium), a basal lamina,
and a layer of loose connective tissue.
• The tunica media is mainly composed of smooth
muscle cells.
• The tunica adventitia is the most external one
and is connective tissue. Arteries and arterioles
show thicker walls that veins and small veins,
respectively, to resist stronger blood pressures
because they are closer to the heart.
• Arteries usually have smaller diameters than veins
that, together with their thicker walls, make them
more rounded in histological sections, whereas
veins show more irregular shapes.
CARDIOVASCU
LAR SYSTEM
AVIAN
INTRODUCTION
• The primary purpose of the circulatory system
• is to provide every living cell of the bird with oxygen and food while
removing carbon dioxide and wastes from those same cells.
• In addition, this system plays an important role in maintaining the
chicken’s body temperature of more than 104°F.
• The circulatory system consists of the heart, the blood vessels, the
spleen, the bone marrow, and the blood and lymph vessels.
• The beginnings of this specialized transport system starts after
only one hour of incubation in the fertile egg.
• It is clearly operating after only two days and the beating heart can
be seen with the naked eye on the third day.
Heart (cor)

• The heart occupies a midline position in the cranial portion of the body
cavity, partially surrounded on both sides by the liver.
• Relative to body size, birds have a larger heart than mammals.
The pericardium is composed, from exterior to interior, of the following layers:
• peritoneum,
• fibrous pericardium (pericardium fibrosum) and
• parietal serous pericardium (pericardium serosum
• parietale).
• The chambers of the heart are similar to those of mammals.
• Manifesting as a triangular shelf of muscle, the atrioventricular valve (valva atrioventricularis dextra) is situated between
the right atrium (atrium cordis dextrum) and the right ventricle (ventriculus cordis dexter)
It has no chordae tendinae.
• Chicken heart is also a four-chambered heart.
• It is located in the thoracic cavity (chest area) between and
in front of the two lobes of the liver.
• The purpose of a four-chambered heart is to divide the
oxygenated blood (that leaving the heart with oxygen for
the cells) from the deoxygenated blood (that coming from
the cells with more carbon dioxide in it to be expelled in the
lungs).
• The left and the right atrium are located on the top of the heart and act as receiving chambers for the
blood coming from the lungs and body, respectively. Atria are a thin-walled muscle that pushes blood
to the true pumps of the heart, the ventricles.
• The muscle wall of the right ventricle is lesser than that of the left ventricle. The right side of the heart
is only pushing blood a short path to the lungs while the left side ventricle has to push blood from the
tip of the comb to the tip of the toes. A chicken’s heart pumps more blood per minute (cardiac output)
than that of mammal’s of the same body mass. Birds also tend to have larger hearts (relative to body
size) than mammals. These physiological adaptations precipitate in them having a higher blood
pressure and resting heart beat than humans (180/160 BP and 245 bpm heart beat).
• The circulatory system of the chicken is a closed circulatory system.
• That is to say, the life-giving blood of the system is always contained in a vessel.
• The vessels we are talking about are arteries, veins and capillaries. Arteries
carry the bright red oxygenated blood away from the heart to the capillaries.
• There is no exchange of gases or food in the arteries.
• Arteries are a network of elastic like tubes, squeezing blood pushed from the
heart.
• Beginning at the largest artery, the aorta, and ending in the smallest arteries,
arterioles, they then connect to the capillaries.
• Here capillaries, only one cell in diameter, interact with the tissues exchanging
gases and nutrients and obtaining wastes.
• The other end of the capillary is then connected to another network of vessels
called veins for a trip back to the heart.