Medical Coding

Answer: B - The term used for the two-layered protective membrane that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great vessels is the pericardium. In order to perform some open cardiac procedures, the surgeon must puncture or remove the pericardium in order to access the heart. The pleural sac is the membrane that surrounds each one of the lungs. The atrium is a chamber of the heart and the aorta is the large vessel at the top of the heart.