Heart Lab
Dissection Protocol for Gross
Anatomy and Blood Supply
Dissection Instructions for Gross
Anatomy
1.
Make an incision with your scalpel three inches below
the vibrissae on the ventral surface.
2. Cut through the muscle layers with the scalpel in a
straight line down the sagittal plane to a point one inch
anterior to the umbilicus.
3. Go back with the scissors and cut through the
sternum.
4. At the area parallel with the forearms cut on the
horizontal or transverse plane to the peripheral trunk.
Follow the same procedure at the level of the
diaphragm.
Stop – Observe - Record
Gross Anatomy Continued. . .
1.Carefully remove the pericardial membrane from
the heart. Use a teasing needle and forceps to
carefully dissect the muscle tissue and fatty
tissue away from the major arteries and veins in
the neck region. The arteries will appear red
and the veins blue because the pig has been
double injected with latex.
2.Carefully remove the heart by cutting the arteries
and veins. Try to leave them in tact by cutting
them anterior to their insertion into the heart.
Stop – Observe - Record
Supply
• Observe the orientation of the blood supply
coming into and leaving the heart.
• Draw the heart in the ventral and dorsal view.
This is a form of observation/data for biological
sciences. This will allow you to follow blood
supply. You could designate blood vessels with
a B or R to indicate color.
• Label: Superior and Inferior vena cava, rt.& lf.
Atria, rt. & lf. Ventricle, Cardiac veins, Coronary
arteries, Pulmonary arch, Aortic arch, rt. & lf.
Pulmonary arteries and veins.
Dissection Instructions for Gross
Anatomy Internal
•
Once the heart is removed, cut the heart in half
along the frontal plane into dorsal and ventral
halves.
• Draw both halves. Identify and label the
following structures: Rt. and Lf. Atria, Rt. and
Lf. Ventricles, Tricuspid valve, Bicuspid (mitral)
valve, Pulmonary trunk, Aorta, Vena Cava
(inferior and superior), Interatrial septum,
interventricular septum.
Stop – Observe – Record
Clean-Up Procedure
• Return Pigs to buckets.
• Get paper towel, write your initials on them
with a wax pencil, wet it, and wrap your
heart in the paper. Give hearts to Sutton.
• Clean pans and tools.
• Return supplies to trays and return them to
the closet in numerical order.
• Put all trash (gloves, paper towel, etc.) in
trash.