Activity 1 – Torso exercise
Each group should use one torso for this activity.
The goal of this exercise is to identify major blood vessels of the body.
- Begin with the heart. What are the three largest vessels connected to the base of the heart? Write in order from the left side of the heart to the right side.
- Trace the three segments of the aorta – the ascending, arch and descending segments. Which segment supply blood to the upper body?
- Examine the superior vena cava.
1. Which two blood vessels drain blood directly into the superior vena cava?
2. Of the two which one is longer?
3. Which of these has a matching artery and which does not?
- Identify the common carotid arteries and jugular veins.
1. Which of the two is more medial?
2. What are the immediate branches of the common carotid arteries?
3. What are the vessels draining directly into the jugular veins?
- Between the subclavian arteries and veins which ones tend to be more superficial?
1. List the major arteries of the upper limb. Begin with the subclavian artery.
2. List the major veins of the upper limb. Begin with the subclavian vein.
3. Which vein(s) does not have a matching artery?
- Follow the blood vessels in the thoracic cavity
a. Which major blood vessels are visible?
b. For each, indicate where the blood is coming from and where it is going?
7. In the abdominal cavity which two very large blood vessels are visible?
A) _____________________________ (B)___________________________
a. List the branches of (A) beginning with the most superior one.
b. List the branches of (B) beginning with the most superior one.
8. Both the aorta and inferior vena cava have branches coming from or leading to them
a. What are the branches of the abdominal aorta? Give the region of the body supplied by each one.
b. What branches drain blood into the inferior vena cava? Indicate which area each one drain blood from.
- Trace the flow of blood according to the directions given below.
a. From the heart to the hand
b. From the heart to the brain
c. From the heart to the small intestines
d. From the heart to the large intestines
e. From the heart to spleen
f. From the heart to the foot
- Trace the flow of blood from the following to the heart.
a. The hand to the heart.
b. From the brain to the heart
c. From the small intestines to the heart
d. From the large intestines to the heart
e. From the spleen to the heart.
f. From the foot to the heart.
Activity 2 – Special Circulations
2.1 Fetal Circulation
The fetus has slightly different circulation than a newborn and an adult. This section will help identify some of the major differences.
1. A. Outline blood flow from the right atrium to the aorta. Be sure to mention the two pathways blood will flow on its way to the aorta.
B. In the outline above, which two structures exist only in fetuses?
C. What do these structures become in adults?
2. A. Trace the flow of blood from the descending aorta to the placenta and back to the heart.
B. From the outline above indicate the structures only found in the fetus.
C. What structures do these become in adults?
3. How are umbilical veins and arteries different from most veins and arteries?
2.2 Hepatic portal circulation
Complete the following questions
1. The hepatic portal vein receives blood from the _________________, _________________, and ____________________.
2. The hepatic portal vein delivers blood rich in nutrients to the ____________________.
3. After crossing through the capillaries of the liver blood returns to the right atrium via the __________________.
4. The hepatic portal vein is formed by the ____________ and ______________ veins.
5. The two blood supplies of the liver are _________________ and ________________. The blood from
______________ is rich in ________________ while blood from the ________________ is rich in oxygen.
6. A portal system involves two or more _________________ connected by _____________.
7. The liver is involved in _______________, ________________, and _________________ the blood.
8. Label the diagram with the following.
Liver hepatic veins hepatic portal vein superior mesenteric artery
Spleen Splenic artery Superior vena cava Inferior mesenteric artery
Hepatic Portal System (Credit Alcendor CC BY SA 3.0)
9. Draw arrows to indicate the direction blood flows through the system.
Activity 3 – Fetal Pig Dissection
Dissection Activity
1. Remove a fetal pig from the bag and rinse in tap water to remove the preservative. Place your pig on a dissecting tray and position the pig so that the abdominal region is exposed. Tie the forelimbs and hindlimbs so as to expose the ventral side. Examine the umbilical cord segment. What blood vessels are parts of this cord? Indicate the type of blood passing through each one.
2. Determine whether the pig is male or female. The male pigs will have a pair of scrotal sac, where the testis are, and a preputial orifice or urogenital opening will be seen , dorsal to the umbilical cord. If it is female a genital papilla will be seen ventral to the anus. (In short, males have one openings ventral to the tail, while females have two).
This is a __________________________ pig. There is or are _________________________________
3. Follow the markings shown depicting where incisions should be made (see picture). Make light incisions at first so as not to destroy underling structures.
4. Use a blunt instrument like a probe to continue exposing the underlying structures. Begin in the neck region and continue towards the thoracic cavity. Retract the skin and fascia. The thymus will be visible as two large glands on either side of the trachea.
5. The thyroid gland will also become visible as you continue to clean the surrounding. The thymus and thyroid glands are both endocrine glands, secreting hormones. Which of the two is larger?
6. The major veins (blue vessels) should be visible. Remove connective tissue around them to make them more visible. Avoid arteries which may appear as whitish looking vessels. Nerves will appear string-like. (see the demonstration or the colored labeled picture). The two large veins drain the head region and empty into the brachiocephalic veins. Which vein is which?
a. The internal vein is more ________ to the neck than the external vein.
b. The internal veins drain blood from the ______ while the external veins drain blood from the _____.
7. The major neck arteries typically follow the veins. Identify the common carotid arteries. These common carotid arteries will eventually divide to form the ____________________which supplies the ____________________ and the ______________________which supplies the __________________________________.
8. Leave the neck region and proceed to exposing the sternum and rib cage by retracting or peeling the skin and muscle of the rib cage. The peeled layers can be cut and discarded.
9. Cut through the abdominal wall to gain access to the peritoneal cavity (see picture). Do not cut too deep to cut through internal organs.
10. Now, with the sternum and rib cage exposed, make an incision down the middle of the sternum, beginning in the abdominal region and cutting towards the neck region. Avoid penetrating and cutting through the heart and underlying structures.
11. Using a probe or blunt tool, pull underlying tissue away from the rib cage. Pull the two halves of the rib cage apart. Detach the diaphragm from the peritoneal wall. Now the exposed part of the rib cage can be cut and removed to have easy access to the thoracic cavity. The area the heart is located is called the __________________________.
12. Remove the pericardium to expose the heart. What are the layers of the pericardium?
13. Carefully clean around the heart and neck region without damaging major blood vessels. Remove the thymus and thyroid gland. Which organs are visible now? ____________________________ and ___________________.
14. Trace the jugular veins and common carotid arteries towards the heart. Be careful not to damage the blood vessels. Keep looking at the demo and the photos for guidance. The left and right jugular veins empty into the ___________________________________, which empty into the _____________________. The common carotid arteries come from the _______________. This is different in humans where the right common carotid comes from the ______________ and the left common carotid comes from the ___________________________.
15. Identify the pulmonary trunk and the aorta as they leave the heart. Look for the ductus arteriosus (fetal shunt between the pulmonary trunk and the aorta).
a. What is the function of this connection?
b. What will this shunt become in adults?
16. Examine the aorta closely.
a. Which blood vessels come from the aorta?
b. How is this different in humans?
17. Identify the left and right subclavian vein and arteries. They should be in close proximity to each other. These blood vessels drain and supply blood to and from the _____________________________________.
18. Identify the anterior vena cava (superior in humans). What blood vessels empty directly into it?
19. Identify the posterior vena cava (inferior in humans) as if leaves the thoracic cavity and passes through the diaphragm. It will return blood coming from ________________________ back to the heart.
20. Identify the following veins as they return blood to the inferior vena cava. Indicate the area these vessels drain blood from.
a. Hemiazygos vein _______________________________________________
b. Hepatic portal vein ________________________________________
c. Hepatic vein ________________________________________
d. Umbilical vein ________________________________________
e. Renal vein ________________________________________
f. internal and external iliac veins____________________________________
g. femoral veins ________________________________________
21. Trace the aorta as it descends into the thorax, abdomen and pelvic cavities. Identify the following and indicate the body region or organ they supply.
a. descending aorta
b. celiac trunk
c. superior mesenteric artery
d. renal artery
e. gonadal artery
f. posterior mesenteric artery
g. umbilical artery
h. external iliac and internal iliac artery
i. femoral artery
22. Examine the heart and observe the
a. anterior interventricular sulcus
b. posterior interventricular sulcus
c. the four chambers
d. coronary arteries
e. cardiac veins
