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Ch. 19 The Cardiovascular System: Blood Vessels
Marieb - Human Anatomy & Physiology 11th Edition
Marieb, Hoehn11th EditionHuman Anatomy & PhysiologyISBN: 9780136874034Not the one you use?Change textbook
All textbooksMarieb, Hoehn 11th EditionCh. 19 The Cardiovascular System: Blood VesselsProblem 8
Chapter 19, Problem 8

The myocardium receives its blood supply directly from the:
a. Aorta
b. Coronary arteries
c. Coronary sinus
d. Pulmonary arteries

Verified step by step guidance
1
Step 1: Understand the anatomy of the heart's blood supply. The myocardium is the muscular layer of the heart wall responsible for contracting and pumping blood.
Step 2: Recall that the myocardium requires its own blood supply to receive oxygen and nutrients, separate from the blood flowing inside the heart chambers.
Step 3: Identify the vessels that directly supply blood to the myocardium. These vessels branch off from the base of the aorta and encircle the heart.
Step 4: Recognize that these vessels are called the coronary arteries, which deliver oxygen-rich blood to the heart muscle itself.
Step 5: Differentiate the coronary arteries from other options: the aorta carries blood away from the heart to the body, the coronary sinus collects deoxygenated blood from the myocardium, and the pulmonary arteries carry blood to the lungs.

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Key Concepts

Here are the essential concepts you must grasp in order to answer the question correctly.

Myocardium

The myocardium is the thick, muscular middle layer of the heart wall responsible for contracting and pumping blood. It requires a rich blood supply to function effectively and sustain the heart's continuous activity.

Coronary Arteries

Coronary arteries are the blood vessels that branch off from the aorta and supply oxygen-rich blood directly to the myocardium. They are essential for delivering nutrients and oxygen to the heart muscle.
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Subcategories of Arteries

Aorta and Coronary Circulation

The aorta is the main artery carrying oxygenated blood from the heart to the body. The coronary arteries originate from the base of the aorta, making the aorta the source of blood for the coronary circulation that nourishes the myocardium.
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Related Practice
Textbook Question

Tracing the blood from the heart to the right hand, we find that blood leaves the heart and passes through the aorta, the right subclavian artery, the axillary and brachial arteries, and through either the radial or ulnar artery to arrive at the hand. Which artery is missing from this sequence?

a. Coronary

b. Brachiocephalic

c. Cephalic

d. Right common carotid

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Textbook Question

Blood flow in the capillaries is steady despite the rhythmic pumping of the heart because of the:

a. Elasticity of the large arteries

b. Small diameter of capillaries

c. Thin walls of the veins

d. Venous valves

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Textbook Question

Using the letters from column B, match the artery descriptions in column A. (Note that some require more than a single choice.)

Column A 

____  (1) unpaired branch of abdominal aorta 

____  (2) second branch of aortic arch 

____ 3) branch of internal carotid 

____ (4) branch of external carotid 

____  (5) origin of femoral arteries

Column B

a. right common carotid

b. superior mesenteric

c. left common carotid

d. external iliac

e. inferior mesenteric

f. superficial temporal

g. celiac trunk

h. facial

i. ophthalmic

j. internal iliac

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Textbook Question

Which of the following would not result in the dilation of the terminal arterioles and upstream arterioles in systemic capillary beds?

a. A decrease in local tissue O₂ content

b. An increase in local tissue CO₂

c. A local increase in histamine

d. A local increase in pH

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Textbook Question

The structure of a capillary wall differs from that of a vein or an artery because

a. it has two tunics instead of three

b. there is less smooth muscle

c. it has a single tunic—only the tunica intima

d. none of these

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Textbook Question

The baroreceptors in the carotid sinus and aortic arch are sensitive to

a. a decrease in CO₂

b. changes in arterial pressure

c. a decrease in O₂

d. all of these

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