Library · Anatomy
Pericardium
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The pericardium is the sac that wraps around the heart. It is tough, fibrous and double-walled, and it also wraps the origin of the great vessels that leave and enter the heart.
Those two walls are not the same. One is the fibrous layer, the sturdy one on the outside. The other is the serous layer, a thin membrane that lines the fibrous one from within and then folds back on itself to cover the entire surface of the heart.
Between the two layers is what is called a potential space, meaning it barely exists because they are pressed together, and a small amount of fluid can sit there. It is a double-walled sleeve with a film of oil between the walls.
That design does three things at once: it holds the heart in place within the mediastinum, the central space of the chest; it gives the heart a lubricated surface so it can beat without rubbing; and it sets a limit so it cannot overstretch.
In brief
The pericardium is a tough, double-layered fibrous sac that wraps the heart and the great vessels.
It has a fibrous layer and a serous layer; the serous layer lines the fibrous one and folds back to cover the entire surface of the heart.
Between those two layers is a potential space that can hold a small amount of fluid.
A double-walled sleeve with a film of oil between the walls.
It anchors the heart in the mediastinum, gives it a lubricated surface and keeps it from overstretching.
Sources (1)
- National Center for Biotechnology Information, StatPearls PublishingAnatomy, Thorax, Pericardium, StatPearlsPublished
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