Flow of the blood through the heart
The plasma, blood cells, and platelets that form blood circulate throughout the body through blood vessels by the pumping of the heart. This entire transportation network is called the "cardiovascular system" in which cardio- means the heart, vascular means the vessels. The human heart contains four chambers: two upper atria (singular: atrium) and two lower ventricles.
The flow of the blood through the heart:
The superior vena cava and the inferior vena cava are the largest veins in the body. They deliver deoxygenated blood from the "systemic circulation" to the right atrium. The blood then passes into the right ventricle and through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs, where the blood takes up O2 and unloads CO2. The pulmonary veins transport oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart, completing the "pulmonary circuit."
The blood then passes into the left ventricle. The left ventricle is the most powerful heart chamber since it has thicker walls than the right to thrust the blood. The massive force generated by the contraction of the left ventricle pumps blood into the aorta which is the largest artery in the body. The blood then circulates throughout the body and then returns to the veins that deliver blood to the right atrium, completes the "systemic circuit."
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