Anatomy
Coronary Arteries
Coronary Arteries
Coronary arteries are the first branches from the ascending aorta and they originate within a specific area known as the coronary sinus. The relevance of the anatomical locations of the coronary arteries will become more apparent later on when we look at the positioning of ECG leads and how to localise a myocardial infarction on a 12 lead ECG. The video below will go through some of the major vessels of the heart, as well as the main coronary arteries
Click on the video to see the course of the arteries in more detail.
Artery Territories
The right coronary artery branches from the aorta and generally supplies the inferior aspect of the heart, along with several structures of the cardiac conducting system. If this becomes blocked, patients are prone to developing arrhythmias. These can be transient if the blood supply is restored quickly enough.
The left main stem artery splits into the circumflex artery and left anterior descending artery. The circumflex artery loops around the posterior aspect of the heart. The left anterior descending artery is the largest of the coronary vessels and supplies most of the left ventricle. Infarcts here cause problems with left ventricular contractility.
