the heart

• parts of the heart

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  A) right atrium

  B) right ventricle

  C) left atrium

  D) left ventricle

  E) pulmonary artery

  F) aorta

  G) superior vena cava

  H) inferior vena cava

  I) pulmonary veins

  J) tricuspid valve

  K) pulmonary valve

  L) aortic valve

  M) mitral / bicuspid valve

  N) septum

  
• the heart is the pump that pushes the blood around the body
• Located between lungs in mediastinum, behind and to the left of the sternum
• the pericardium is the membrane that completely encloses the heart. it holds the heart in place while also allowing it to move as it beats. it also prevents the heart from overstretching
• Wall of heart is made of cardiac muscle
• Left and right side is separated by a wall called the septum
• the right side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body through the vena cava and pumps it through the pulmonary arteries to the lungs to be oxygenated
• the left side of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins and pumps to the body through the aorta
• the right atrium receives blood from body and passes it to right ventricle
• the right ventricle receives blood from right atrium and pumps it to the lungs
• the left atrium receives blood from the lungs and passes it to left ventricle
• the left ventricle receives blood from left atrium and pumps it to the body
• the left ventricle has thicker wall than right ventricle because it needs to be stronger to pump the blood through the blood vessels supplying the body
• valves ensures blood can only flow in one direction
• Atrioventricular valves are located between atria and ventricle. they are made of flaps of thin tissue with edges held by tendons called chordae tendineae. they are attached to heart on papillary muscles
• When the ventricles contract, blood catches behind flaps which billow out like a parachutes, sealing off the opening between atria and ventricles
• the tricuspid valve has 3 flaps and is located between the right atrium and ventricle
• the mitral or bicuspid valve has 2 flaps and is located between the left atrium and ventricle
• the semilunar valves are located between ventricles and arteries . each valve has 3 cusps
• When blood flows into arteries, the cusps are pressed flat against artery wall. when blood tries to flow back into the ventricle, the cusps fill out and seal off the artery
• the pulmonary valve is located between right ventricle and pulmonary artery
• the aortic valve is located between the left ventricle and aorta