Question

Heart is a pumping device for blood. Is there a separate blood supply for heart wall?

Answer 1

Heart gets its blood supply from coronary arteries.

Explanation:

Our heart pumps the blood throughout the body i.e from head to toe.

`color(blue)"Veins"`(except pulmonary veins) carry the oxygen poor blood from different organs and give it to the heart.

Deoxygenated blood from right side of heart is sent to lungs where most of the carbondioxide diffuses out and oxygen diffuses in. Oxygenated blood returns to left side of heart.

`color(red)"Arteries"`(except pulmonary arteries) supply the oxygenated blood to various organs of the body.

So it means that blood travels through different chambers of the heart all the time, but this blood is of no nutritional use to the heart. It is just the blood which the heart has to pump.

Heart muscle definitely needs its own blood supply for oxygen and nutrition in order to keep beating continuously. This blood supply is provided to the heart by `color(red)"coronary arteries"`.

Coronary arteries lie on outer surface of heart. There are two coronary arteries i.e right coronary artery and left coronary artery.

Both these arteries arise from base of aorta.

Right coronary artery divides into right posterior descending artery (that turn to posterior part)and marginal branch. Left coronary artery divides into left descending anterior branch and left circumflex branch. Both these arteries supply oxygen rich blood to cardiac or heart muscles. And thus these are the arteries which fulfill the nutritional demand of the heart. That's why these are also known as Cardiac arteries.

Hope it helps...