Anatomy and Physiology

“Heart”

The heart is the muscular organ of the circulatory system that

constantly pumps blood throughout the body. Approximately the size of a
clenched fist, the heart is composed of cardiac muscle tissue that is very
strong and able to contract and relax rhythmically throughout a person's
lifetime.

The heart has four separate

compartments or chambers. The upper
chamber on each side of the heart,
which is called an atrium, receives and
collects the blood coming to the heart.
The atrium then delivers blood to the
powerful lower chamber, called a
ventricle, which pumps blood away
from the heart through powerful,
rhythmic contractions.

The human heart is actually two

pumps in one. The right side receives
oxygen-poor blood from the various
regions of the body and delivers it to
the lungs. In the lungs, oxygen is
absorbed in the blood. The left side of
the heart receives the oxygen-rich
blood from the lungs and delivers it to
the rest of the body.

Systole

The contraction of the cardiac muscle tissue in the ventricles is called

systole. When the ventricles contract, they force the blood from their
chambers into the arteries leaving the heart. The left ventricle empties into
the aorta and the right ventricle into the pulmonary artery. The increased
pressure due to the contraction of the ventricles is called systolic pressure.

Diastole

The relaxation of the cardiac muscle tissue in the ventricles is called

diastole. When the ventricles relax, they make room to accept the blood
from the atria. The decreased pressure due to the relaxation of the
ventricles is called diastolic pressure.

Anatomy of the Heart

Your heart is located under the ribcage in the center of your chest
between your right and left lung. It’s shaped like an upside-down pear. Its
muscular walls beat, or contract, pumping blood continuously to all parts of
your body.

The size of your heart can vary depending on your age, size, or the
condition of your heart. A normal, healthy, adult heart most often is the size
of an average clenched adult fist. Some diseases of the heart can cause it to
become larger.

Heart Exterior

The illustration
shows the front
surface of the
heart, including
the coronary
arteries and major
blood vessels.

The heart is the

muscle in the lower
half of the picture.
The heart has four
chambers. The
right and left atria
(AY-tree-uh) are
shown in purple. The right and left ventricles (VEN-trih-kuls) are shown in
red.
Connected to the heart are some of the main blood vessels—arteries and
veins—that make up your blood circulatory system.

The ventricle on the right side of your heart pumps blood from the heart to
your lungs. When you breathe air in, oxygen passes from your lungs through
blood vessels where it’s added to your blood. Carbon dioxide, a waste
product, is passed from your blood through blood vessels to your lungs and
is removed from your body when you breathe air out.

The atrium on the left side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from the
lungs. The pumping action of your left ventricle sends this oxygen-rich blood
through the aorta (a main artery) to the rest of your body.

The Right Side of Your Heart

The superior and inferior vena cavae are in blue to the left of the muscle as
you look at the picture. These veins are the largest veins in your body. They
carry used (oxygen-poor) blood to the right atrium of your heart. “Used”
blood has had its oxygen removed and used by your body’s organs and
tissues. The superior vena cava carries used blood from the upper parts of
your body, including your head, chest, arms, and neck. The inferior vena
cava carries used blood from the lower parts of your body.

The used blood from the vena cavae flows into your heart’s right atrium and
then on to the right ventricle. From the right ventricle, the used blood is
pumped through the pulmonary (PULL-mun-ary) arteries (in blue in the
center of picture) to your lungs. Here, through many small, thin blood
vessels called capillaries, your blood picks up oxygen needed by all the areas
of your body.

The oxygen-rich blood passes from your lungs back to your heart through the
pulmonary veins (in red to the left of the right atrium in the picture).

The Left Side of Your Heart

Oxygen-rich blood from your lungs passes through the pulmonary veins (in
red to the right of the left atrium in the picture). It enters the left atrium and
is pumped into the left ventricle. From the left ventricle, your blood is
pumped to the rest of your body through the aorta.

Like all of your organs, your heart needs blood rich with oxygen. This oxygen
is supplied through the coronary arteries as it’s pumped out of your heart’s
left ventricle. Your coronary arteries are located on your heart’s surface at
the beginning of the aorta. Your coronary arteries (shown in red in the
drawing) carry oxygen-rich blood to all parts of your heart.

The Interior of the Heart

Below is a picture of the inside of a normal, healthy, human heart.

Heart Interior

The illustration shows a cross-section of a healthy heart and its inside

structures. The blue arrow shows the direction in which low-oxygen blood
flows from the body to the lungs. The red arrow shows the direction in
which oxygen-rich blood flows from the lungs to the rest of the body.

The Septum

The right and left sides of your heart are divided by an internal wall of tissue
called the septum. The area of the septum that divides the two upper
chambers (atria) of your heart is called the atrial or interatrial septum. The
area of the septum that divides the two lower chambers (ventricles) of your
heart is called the ventricular or interventricular septum.

Heart Chambers
The picture shows the inside of your heart and how it’s divided into four
chambers. The two upper chambers of your heart are called atria. The atria
receive and collect blood. The two lower chambers of your heart are called
ventricles. The ventricles pump blood out of your heart into the circulatory
system to other parts of your body.

Heart Valves

The picture shows your heart’s four valves. Shown counterclockwise in the
picture, the valves include the aortic (ay-OR-tik) valve, the tricuspid (tri-
CUSS-pid) valve, the pulmonary valve, and the mitral (MI-trul) valve.

Blood Flow

The arrows in the drawing show the direction that blood flows through your
heart. The light blue arrows show that blood enters the right atrium of your
heart from the superior and inferior vena cavae. From the right atrium, blood
is pumped into the right ventricle. From the right ventricle, blood is pumped
to your lungs through the pulmonary arteries.

The light red arrows show the oxygen-rich blood coming in from your lungs
through the pulmonary veins into your heart’s left atrium. From the left
atrium, the blood is pumped into the left ventricle, where it’s pumped to the
rest of your body through the aorta.

For the heart to function properly, your blood flows in only one direction.
Your heart’s valves make this possible. Both of your heart’s ventricles has an
“in” (inlet) valve from the atria and an “out” (outlet) valve leading to your
arteries. Healthy valves open and close in very exact coordination with the
pumping action of your heart’s atria and ventricles. Each valve has a set of
flaps called leaflets or cusps, which seal or open the valves. This allows
pumped blood to pass through the chambers and into your arteries without
backing up or flowing backward.