Inferior Cervical Cardiac Nerve (Left)

Origin

The inferior cervical cardiac nerve originates in the inferior cervical ganglion. When inferior cervical and upper thoracic ganglia are fused, the inferior cervical cardiac nerve originates in the cervicothoracic ganglion and may be referred to as the cervicothoracic cardiac nerve.

Course

Both left and right inferior cervical cardiac nerves run medially from the inferior cervical ganglion on the posterior surface of the subclavian artery. The right inferior cervical cardiac nerve runs medially, posterior the subclavian artery and brachiocephalic trunk, to the anterior surface of the trachea where it joins the deep cardiac plexus. On the left, the inferior cervical cardiac nerve runs medially, posterior of the aortic arch, and then anterior of the trachea to join the deep cardiac plexus (Netter, 2011, De Gama et al., 2012).

Branches

The right and left inferior cervical cardiac nerves send their fibers to the deep cardiac plexus.

Supplied Structures & Function

The inferior cervical cardiac nerve carries both sympathetic efferent fibers and visceral afferent fibers.

Sympathetic efferent fibers supply the heart, and when stimulated, increase heart rate, cardiac impulse conduction, and the force of myocardial contraction, as well as dilate coronary arteries. Visceral afferent fibers from the heart, when stimulated, convey pain sensations via the superior cervical cardiac nerve towards the thoracic spinal cord.

List of Clinical Correlates

—Tachycardia

—Referred pain

References

De Gama, B. Z., Lazarus, L., Partab, P. and Satyapal, K. S. (2012) 'The Sympathetic and Parasympathetic Contributions to the Cardiac Plexus: a Fetal Study', International Journal of Morphology, 30, pp. 1569-1576.

Netter, F. H. (2011) Atlas of Human Anatomy. Netter Basic Science Series: Saunders/Elsevier.