Coronary arteries

Heart muscle, like any other organ or tissue found in the body, needs oxygen-rich blood in order to survive. Blood is supplied to the heart by its own vascular system, called coronary circulation. The aorta, our body's main blood supplier, is divided into two main coronary blood vessels called arteries. And the coronary arteries, in turn, branch into smaller arteries, which supply oxygen-rich blood to the entire heart muscle.

Related topics

Aorta, carotid artery, femoral artery

What are coronary arteries?

Coronary arteries are the arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle, which needs oxygen-rich blood to function through the right coronary artery and left coronary artery.

Function of coronary arteries

The function of the coronary arteries is to supply blood to the heart muscle, since it needs oxygenated blood in order to function properly and eliminate the blood from which the oxygen has already been extracted. The left coronary artery is divided into a series of branches: anterior descending and circumflex and is responsible for transporting blood to the left ventricle of the heart and the left atrium. On the other hand, the right coronary artery is divided into the right posterior descending artery and the marginal artery, and its function is to transport oxygenated blood to the right ventricle, right atrium, towards the sinoatrial node of the right atrium wall and the aurioventricular node.

Location of coronary arteries

The right coronary artery arises in the right atrium of the heart and lungs and is then introduced into the right atrioventricular sulcus and traversed to the posterior ventricular sulcus forming the posterior ventricular artery. The right coronary artery can also be located in the right ventricle and in the lower region of the left ventricle. On the other hand, the left coronary artery is located by irrigating the anterior and lateral face of the left ventricle.

Branches of coronary arteries

The left coronary artery forms the following trunk or branches:

• Left coronary trunk: this is where the left coronary artery begins and is born in the left aortic sinus, passing behind the pulmonary artery. It can measure up to 20 mm and there are even cases in which it does not exist.
• Anterior descent: it is also known as the anterior interventricular branch and is born at the bifurcation of the left coronary trunk, passing through the pulmonary artery and running through the entire interventricular furrow. In turn, it has two branches that also supply blood, the diagonal branches and the septal branches.
• Branch of the artery cone: responsible for irrigating the outgoing tract of the right ventricle.
• Diagonal branches: they go towards the lateral face. Usually there are two together, but their number may vary.
• Septal branches: they are small ramifications that enter the interventricular septum, giving irrigation to the previous two thirds.
• Circumflex: It is born in the bifurcation of the left coronary trunk and borders the heart in its posterior part. It irrigates the lateral and posterolateral face of the left ventricle.
• Auricular branches: small branches that irrigate the lateral and posterior wall of the left atrium.
• Marginal obtuse branches originate in the circumflex artery and border the heart by irrigating its lateral and posterolateral face in the left ventricle.
• Posterior descendant: Also known as the posterior ventricular branch.
• Intermediate branch: known as the Bisector branch and irrigates the lateral wall of the heart doing the diagonal function.

The right coronary artery, born in the aortic sinus, surrounds the heart. Its ramifications are as follows:

• Branch of the arterial cone: irrigates the arterial cone of the right ventricle.
• Artery of the sinus node: in most patients, it leaves the right coronary artery and goes through the anterior face of the right atrium up to the mouth of the vena cava, ending in the sinus node.
• Marginal acute: these are branches that originate in the right coronary artery.
• Posterior descent: most people are born in the right coronary, ending before reaching the distal third of the lower face of the ventricle.
• Posterolateral branch: it may be absent in some patients and is a continuation of the right coronary that irrigates the posterior face of the left ventricle.

Blocked coronary arteries

Coronary artery disease is the most common type of heart disease and is the leading cause of death among men and women. This condition occurs when the arteries that supply blood to the heart become hard and narrow. This usually occurs as a result of cholesterol building up in the walls of the artery. This buildup is called arteriosclerosis. As the arteries fill with cholesterol, the blood cannot circulate fluidly, and the heart does not receive the necessary flow of oxygen. Symptoms that a person may experience include

• Chest pain called angina, which is a squeezing type of pain in the chest.
• Arrhythmias
• Heart failure
• shortness of breath
• Heart attacks.

The causes of the disease are smoking, high blood pressure, high cholesterol, sedentary lifestyle and diabetes. Age, family history, and sex are risk factors, so it is important to apply appropriate prevention methods to prevent the onset of these diseases. The treatment indicated is based on three different aspects:

• Administration of medications to reduce cholesterol and high blood pressure.
• Angioplasty and implantation of coronary stents.
• Coronary artery bypass.