Heart

• Circulatory system


  An example of an organ system whose role is to transport oxygen and nutrients to the body's tissues
• Circulatory system


  • Relies on blood, blood vessels, and the heart
• Circulatory system


  1. Blood carries oxygen and nutrients

  2. Blood vessels hold the blood

  3. Heart pumps the blood through the vessels
• Double circulatory system


  Two distinct loops - one carries deoxygenated blood from the heart to the lungs, the other carries oxygenated blood from the heart to the rest of the body
• Heart


  • Consists of 4 chambers with thick muscular walls
  • Has veins and arteries coming in and out
• When looking at an image of the heart, the left side is on the right and the right side is on the left
• Atria


  Top chambers of the heart
• Ventricles


  Bottom chambers of the heart
• Valves


  Prevent blood from flowing backwards, ensure blood flows in the right direction
• Blood flow through the heart

  1. Flows into right atrium and left atrium

  2. Atria contract to push blood into ventricles

  3. Ventricles contract to push blood out into pulmonary artery and aorta

  4. Atria refill with new blood
• Pacemaker cells


  Group of cells in the right atrium that produce electrical impulses to make the heart contract
• Artificial pacemaker


  Small device implanted under the skin above the heart to regulate the heartbeat
• Artery


  Any vessel that carries blood away from the heart
• Vein


  Any vessel that carries blood to the heart
• Arteries don't always carry oxygenated blood, and veins don't always carry deoxygenated blood
• Coronary arteries


  Small arteries that branch off the aorta to supply the heart muscle with oxygenated blood
• Left side of the heart

  The left side of the heart is responsible for pumping oxygen-rich blood out to the rest of the body. It receives blood from the lungs, which have added oxygen to it, and pumps it through the aorta, the largest artery in the body. From there, the blood is distributed to the rest of the body through a network of arteries and capillaries.
• Right side of the heart in images

  The right side of the heart receives oxygen-depleted blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. In images of the heart, the right side is on the left side of the image because the image is oriented as if the viewer is looking at the heart from the front.
• Left side of the heart in images

  The left side of the heart pumps blood out to the rest of the body. In images of the heart, the left side is on the right side of the image because the image is oriented as if the viewer is looking at the heart from the front.