HEART ANATOMY

 

Chambers of the heart

The heart has four chambers: two atria and two ventricles.

• The right atrium receives oxygen-poor blood from the body through the vena cava and pumps it into the right ventricle which then sends it to the lungs to be oxygenated.
• The right ventricle pumps the oxygen-poor blood to the lungs that receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium and pumps it under low pressure into the lungs via the pulmonary artery.
• The left atrium receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it down into the left ventricle which delivers it to the body.
• Left ventricle - The left lower chamber of the heart that receives blood from the left atrium and pumps it out under high pressure through the aorta to the body.

The Heart Valves

• The tricuspid valve regulates blood flow between the right atrium and right ventricle.
• The pulmonary valve controls blood flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary arteries, which carry blood to your lungs to pick up oxygen.
• The mitral valve lets oxygen-rich blood from your lungs pass from the left atrium into the left ventricle.
• The aortic valve opens the way for oxygen-rich blood to pass from the left ventricle into the aorta, your body's largest artery, where it is delivered to the rest of your body.

• The right pulmonary artery is the longer of the two. It passes transversely across the midline in the upper chest and passes below the aortic arch to enter the hilum of the right lung as part of its root.
• The left pulmonary artery is the shorter of the two terminal branches of the pulmonary trunk. It pierces the pericardium (the sac around the heart) and enters the hilum of the left lung.