In the above diagram, can you name each structure?
Let’s look a the heart.
Tracing the blood flow is as follows;
1. Blood enters the superior and inferior vena cava and flows into the right atrium
2. The right atrium contracts and the blood flows through the right atrioventriular valve or also called the (Tricuspid Valve) into the right ventricle.
3. Next the right ventricle contracts and blood flows through the pulmonic valve into the pulmonary artery and travels to the lungs where the blood picks up oxygen.
4. Now the oxygenated blood flows back to the heart via the pulmonary vein into the left atrium.
5. The left atrium contracts and freshly oxygenated blood flows through the left atrioventricular valve, or also called the (bicuspid valve) into the left ventricle.
6. The left ventricle contracts and pushes the fresh blood through the semi lunar valve or the aortic valve into the aorta through the rest of the body.
Key Points
- The heart contains four chambers: two atria and two ventricles.
- The blood that is returned to the right atrium is deoxygenated, then passed into the right ventricle to be pumped through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for reoxygenation and removal of carbon dioxide.
- The left atrium receives newly-oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins. This blood is passed into the strong left ventricle to be pumped through the aorta to the different organs of the body.
- The coronary circulation supplies the heart muscle with the oxygen and nutrients it requires to function.
Key Terms
- Coronary circulation: The circulation of blood in the blood vessels of the heart muscle.
- cardiovascular system: In humans, this system is comprised of the heart, blood, and blood vessels.
The heart is a key organ in the circulatory system responsible for the generation of pressure and thus flow throughout the system and pulmonary circulatory systems.
The heart contains four chambers, two atria and two ventricles. The blood that is returned to the right atrium is deoxygenated and s passed into the right ventricle to be pumped through the pulmonary artery to the lungs for reoxygenation and removal of carbon dioxide. The left atrium receives newly oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins, which is passed into the strong left ventricle to be pumped through the aorta to the different organs of the body.
