Heart Dissection
Suggested Time
Time45 min
Span1 Class Period
Ideal Group Size
2 students per group
Safety Supplies (Required)
Safety Supplies (Recommended)
ViewRecommended Specimen(s)
Recommended Dissecton Supplies
General Dissection Resources
Heart Dissection Videos
Heart External Anatomy
- Place the preserved heart on your dissecting tray.
- Using your forceps, remove the fat that covers the upper part of the heart and blood vessels. The fat is light colored, soft, and without structure.
- Locate the external structures labeled on the anterior and posterior sides of the heart, as shown below.
Heart Internal Anatomy
- Position the heart anterior side up.
- Use your scalpel to cut the heart in half across both atria and ventricles as shown in the figure below.Tip: Begin at an atrium and cut around the heart to the vessels. Open the heart and cut the thick intraventricular septum to complete the separation.
- Identify all the internal structures labeled in the figure above.
- Using available references, use your probe to trace the path of blood through the heart, beginning with the superior vena cava.
- Follow all clean-up and disposal instructions.
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