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The Heart and the Coronary Arteries: Front View

Picture of the heart and the coronary arteries: front view

Coronary arteries are blood vessels that provide oxygen-rich blood and other nutrients to the heart muscle. The coronary arteries attach to and wrap around the heart's surface.

The left coronary artery branches off into smaller arteries. The most prominent ones are the:

  • Left anterior descending artery, which supplies blood to the front of the heart.
  • Left circumflex artery, which encircles the heart muscle, supplying blood to the back of the heart.

The right coronary artery supplies the back of the heart. The right marginal branch usually extends from the right coronary artery and supplies blood to the lower right side of the heart.

By Healthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology
Specialist Medical Reviewer Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology
Last Revised April 26, 2012

Last Revised: April 26, 2012

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology & Stephen Fort, MD, MRCP, FRCPC - Interventional Cardiology

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