Heart Dissection
WHAT TO DO
REMEMBER
1. Put the heart on the board.
You may have done some work
about the heart in Key Stage 3
TARGETS
To work safely and make careful
observations
To find the coronary arteries that supply
the heart muscle with blood and the
chambers and valves of the heart
To work out the direction of blood
flow through the heart
YOU NEED
A heart
Dissecting board
Scissors
String or strips of heavy black
polythene: 2 pieces, each 30 cm long,
per heart
Disposable gloves
2. Look at the blood vessels on the surface of the heart.
Disinfectant These are the coronary arteries and veins.
Soap and water You may need to cut away some fat to see them clearly.
SAFETY
Take care when using scissors – 3. Feel the thinner right side
make sure that you do not cut yourself and the thicker left side of
by mistake. the ventricle muscle.
4. Make sure that the thinner
right side is to your left.
5. Cut around the 6. If you lift up the two
heart horizontally. upper sides of the heart
you will see the muscle in
the middle of the heart that
separates the two parts.
Heart Dissection
WHAT TO DO
SAFETY
After the dissection:
• wipe down benches
with disinfectant;
1. Notice there are two chambers on each side.
2. Find the two top chambers, or atria. (Atria is the plural of
atrium.)
3. Find the two lower chambers (ventricles).
• wash your hands thoroughly.
4. Find the one-way valves (heart valves and valves at the
opening of arteries) that stop blood flowing the wrong
way through the heart.
5. Thread pieces of string through the blood vessels,
chambers and valves to help you to see where the blood
would enter and leave the heart.
6. Wipe down the bench afterwards. Then wash your
hands.
DISCUSSION
While you are carrying out the dissection discuss the
following questions with your partners and your teacher.
a) Why is the left ventricle wall much thicker than the right?
b) Which set of valves closes when the ventricles contract?
c) Which set of valves closes when the ventricles relax?
d) Sometimes there are large deposits of fat on the surface
of a heart. Do you think the fat matters?