|
This article refers to the anatomical term. See Chest (disambiguation) for other usages.
Anatomy of the chest - Humans and other hominids
In hominids, the chest is the region of the body between the neck and the abdomen, along with its internal organs and other contents. It is mostly protected and supported by the ribcage, spine, and shoulder girdle. Contents of the chest include the heart, lungs, diaphragm, esophagus, trachea, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, the shoulder socket containing the upper part of the humerus, nipple, scapula, pulmonary artery, sternum, xiphoid process, thoracic portion of the spine, major and minor pectoral muscles, trapezius muscles, collarbone, and mammary glands in hominids.
In humans, the portion of the chest protected by the ribcage is also called the thorax. The words chest and thorax are often mistakenly used interchangeably.
Anatomy of the chest - Other animals
In insects and other creatures with an exoskeleton, the area corresponding to the chest is called the thorax. see drawing of an insect indicating position of the thorax
In four legged mammals, the mammary glands and nipples are located closer to the back legs, and are therefore not part of the chest. Otherwise, the anatomy contains similar internal organs in different configurations.
The chest in medicine
Injury to the chest (also referred to as chest trauma, thoracic injury, or thoracic trauma) results in up to 1/4 of all deaths due to trauma in the United States 1.
References
Note 1: Shahani, Rohit, MD. (2005). Penetrating Chest Trauma (http://www.emedicine.com/med/topic2916.htm). eMedicine. Retrieved 2005-02-05.
|
