Coronary Arteries — Plumbing
In order for the heart to function, it needs its own blood supply to receive oxygen and
nutrients. The heart receives its blood supply from the coronary arteries — not from the
blood that fills its chambers:
Left Main Coronary Artery
Splits into two branches —
the left anterior descending artery
and the circumflex artery.
Left main
coronary artery
Left Anterior
Descending Artery
Circumflex
Artery
Supplies blood to the front
part of the heart.
Circumflex
Left anterior
descending
artery
Right
coronary artery
Supplies blood to the
back of the heart.
Right Coronary Artery
Supplies blood to the right side of the
heart and portions of the bottom and
the back side of the heart.
Collaterals
May form when an artery is blocked.
With collateral vessels, the heart forms
its own bypass around the blockage.
9