Chapter 1
INTRODUCTION
WHAT IS HEART?
The human heart is a muscular organ that provides a continuous blood circulation through the cycle and is one of the most vital organs in the human body. The heart is divided into four main chambers: the two upper chambers are called the left and right atria and two lower chambers are called the right and left ventricles. There is a thick wall of muscle separating the right side and the left side of the heart called the septum. Fig 1: HUMAN HEART[10]
HOW DOES BLOOD FLOW THROUGH HEART?
Blood flows through the heart in one direction, from the atria to the ventricles, and out of the great arteries, or the aorta for example. Blood is prevented from flowing backwards by the tricuspid, bicuspid, aortic, and pulmonary valve.
The heart acts as a double pump. The function of the right side of the heart is to collect de-oxygenated blood, in the right atrium, from the body (via superior and inferior vena cava) and pump it, via the right ventricle, into the lungs (pulmonary circulation) so that carbon dioxide can be dropped off and oxygen picked up (gas exchange). This happens through the passive process of diffusion.
The left side collects oxygenated blood from the lungs into the left atrium. From the left atrium the blood moves to the left ventricle which pumps it out to the body (via the aorta).
WHAT IS ITS ELECTRICAL ACTIVITY? The electric energy that stimulates the heart occurs in the sinoatrial node, which produces a definite
Both the right and left atrium contract causing blood to flow though the two valves, and then into the left ventricle. The left ventricle pumps blood into the systemic circulation through the aorta. This systemic circulation system is much bigger than the pulmonary circulation system, which is why the left ventricle is so big. The blood on the left side of the heart is oxygenated. It becomes oxygenated when the deoxygenated blood passes through the right atrium and then flows into the left ventricle. It is then pumped along the pulmonary artery into the lungs where it is oxygenated. It then travels through the pulmonary veins back into the heart. It enters through the left atrium and then travels to the left ventricle. This process is repeated over and over again, to make blood continuously flow through the heart, lungs and body. This process ensures that there is always enough oxygen for the body to work
Inside our body there is a powerful muscular pump, which is known as the one of the main organs in the human body. This hollow, cone shaped, pump lies slightly left within the center of the chest called our heart. The heart is made up of different structures and actions in order for it to work, combined with a network of blood vessels form what we know as the cardiovascular system.
Heart valves ensure one way blood flow through heart. The atrioventricular (AV) valves lie between the atria and the ventricles prevents the back flow of blood in to the atria while the ventricles contract. Chordae tendinae anchor AV values to papillary muscles. The left AV valve, the mitral or bicuspid valve consists of two cusps of endocardium. The right atrioventricular valve, the tricuspid valve, has three cusps. The second sets of valve are the semilunar valves. The pulmonary semilunar valves lie between the right ventricle and pulmonary trunk. Aortic semilunar valves lie between ventricle and the aorta. Semilunar valves prevent the backflow of blood into the ventricle.
In a normal human being the heart correctly functions by the blood first entering through the right atrium from the superior and inferior vena cava. This blood flow continues through the right atrioventricular valve into the right ventricle. The right ventricle contracts forcing the pulmonary valve to open leading blood flow through the pulmonary valve and into the pulmonary trunk. Blood is then distributed from the right and left pulmonary arteries to the lungs, where carbon dioxide is unloaded and oxygen is loaded into the blood. The blood is returned from the lungs to the left
*Both sides of the heart are doing this at the same exact time and contracting/relaxing is what pumps the blood from one place to the other.
Pulmonary circulation transports deoxygenated blood from the right side of the heart to the lungs where the blood picks up oxygen and returns
The heart is a very strong muscle that has one major job. The heart’s job is to pump blood throughout the entire body. The heart is made up of 4 chambers, and 4 valves. There is the right and left atrium, and a right and left ventricle. The atriums are the superior chambers, and the ventricles are inferior chambers. The left ventricle is the most important, because that is where the blood travels through to go to the aorta, and eventually the rest of the body (Taylor 2015).
The left side of the heart, has the left atrium and ventricle that takes in oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it out of the aorta.
Blood then travels out toward the lungs for oxygenation via the pulmonary artery and returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins entering the left atrium. It is pumped through the mitral valve into the left ventricle to exit the aortic valve to the circulation via the aorta. The questions asked in the lab packet directly related to the anatomy and physiology of the heart which allowed to understand how the heart works as a
Meanwhile, the left receives the now oxygen rich blood that comes from the lungs and is then pumped through the arteries. However, this time the left ventricle receives the
Your heart is not only a pump, but it is a muscular organ divided into the right and the left side of your chest( Heart Disease- Mayo Clinic) This division is known for protecting oxygen-rich blood from mixing with oxygen-poor blood( Heart Disease- Mayo Clinic).
has to work harder pumping blood to the rest of the body. Blood in our
The right side of the heart consists of the right atrium and right ventricle. The right atrium receives the deoxygenated blood via the vena cava (both the inferior and superior) from the rest of the body. The blood then travels through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle where it then gets pumped to the lungs, where gas exchange can occur. The chambers on the left side of the heart are the left ventricle and atrium. The left atrium receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs via the pulmonary vein. It is then pumped through the atrioventricular valve into the left ventricle, where it is pumped through the aorta and to the rest of the body. One adaptation of the heart is the thickness of the walls. The ventricles have thicker walls than the atria as blood gets pumped out with higher pressures. The left ventricle is even thicker as it must withstand the
The heart is described as the most valuable organ in the body. The function of the heart is to pump blood throughout the body. The heart works to pump and circulate all of the materials our body needs to operate properly. The right side of the heart receives de-oxygenated blood from the body. The blood rides through the Tricuspid Valve into the Right Ventricle. After that, it pumps through the Pulmonary Valve into the Pulmonary Artery. This is where the de-oxygenated blood is taken to the lungs to get oxygen.
The Heart has four valves that regulate blood flow through your heart. The two valves that separate the atria from the ventricles are the atrioventricular valves. The valve between the left atrium and