Heart

• What is the heart made up of?

  • An atrium: thin walled and elastic, atrium can stretch when filled with blood
  • Ventricle: Thick muscular wall to pump blood around body or to lungs.
• Why are 2 separate pumps needed to maintain blood pressure?

  One pump would not be able to do this as the slow down of the blood as it passes the lungs could cause it to lose its pressure.
• 4 main vessels

  1. Aorta: connected to left ventricle and carries oxygenated blood to all parts of body.
  2. Pulmonary artery: connected to right ventricle and carries deoxygenated blood to lungs to be oxygenated and remove CO2
  3. Pulmonary vein: Connected to left atrium and brings oxygenated blood back from the lungs
  4. Vena cava: Connected to the right atrium and brings back deoxygenated back from tissues.