The ascending aorta is the section of the aorta, the largest blood vessel in the body, that arises from the left ventricle of the heart.
Classified as an artery, it carries blood up and out of the heart. Once it reaches the aortic arch, which is the highest point in the aorta where it changes direction and becomes the descending aorta, this blood is diverted to the carotid arteries that supply blood to the head and neck, the brachiocephalic artery. that irrigates the head. neck and right arm, and the subclavian arteries supplying both arms.
Also, a large part of this blood continues to travel down the descending aorta to distribute itself in the trunk of the body.
The only blood vessels that divert blood from the ascending arch are the coronary arteries, which are responsible for sending oxygen-rich blood back to the heart itself.
The superior vena cava returns blood from the body to the heart through the right atrium, which is partially behind the aorta on the right side.
Approximately 5 centimeters (1.97 inches) long, the ascending aorta is located above the heart and behind the breastbone, or breastbone, just inside the rib cage. It originates in the heart in the upper part of the left ventricle, which of the four chambers of the heart is the leftmost of the two lower chambers.
This point of origin is at the level and just behind the costal cartilage of the third rib, which is the flexible segment that connects the rib to the sternum.
A diagram of the aorta, including the ascending aorta, also called the aortic root.
From here, the ascending aorta travels upward, sloping slightly forward and inward, so that it approaches the midline of the sternum.
Almost 2 inches above its point of origin, it abruptly changes direction. This upper horizontal segment is the aortic arch.
The outer division of the ascending portion of the aortic arch is the pericardium, the double-walled sac that encapsulates the heart and the roots of the large blood vessels that enter and exit the heart.
In other words, the ascending aorta is completely contained within the pericardium, invisible from the outside, with the aortic arch protruding from the top.
The ascending aorta is completely contained within the pericardium, invisible from the outside, with the aortic arch protruding from the top.
Along the left side of the ascending aorta within the pericardium is the pulmonary artery, another large blood vessel that carries blood from the heart to the lungs for oxygen or oxygen .
On your right side is the superior vena cava, the vein that returns blood from the body to the heart through the right atrium, which is partially behind the aorta on your right side. Behind him, on his left side, is the left atrium.
In front of the aorta is the pericardium, and before that there is a portion of the right lung, which is enclosed by the sternum and ribs.
The subclavian arteries supply aortic blood to both arms.
The function of the ascending aorta is to transport oxygenated blood, which has circulated from the lungs back to the heart through the pulmonary vein, where it is sent through the left atrium, pushed down through the left ventricle, and it is pumped through the aorta. for delivery to various organs and body tissues.
In addition to carrying this blood to the aortic arch for distribution to the head, neck, and arms, the ascending aorta also diverts oxygenated blood through the coronary arteries back to the heart, where it supplies oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the heart muscle. . the contracted muscle of the heart wall.
The ascending aorta carries blood up from the left ventricle of the heart.