Heart Chambers Flashcards
How many chambers is the heart comprised of?
4
What are the 4 chambers of the heart?
Right and left (upper) atrium
Right and left (lower) ventricles
What blood does the right atrium receive?
De-oxygenated blood
What blood does the left atrium receive?
Oxygenated blood
What are the atria more commonly known as?
The receiving chambers
What are the lower ventricles known as?
The discharging chambers
What does the right ventricle help do?
Helps pump blood to the lungs to be oxygenated
What does the left ventricle help do?
Helps pump oxygenated blood around the body
How does blood flow around the heart?
The superior and inferior vena cava empty their contents into the right atrium
This blood passes through the right AV valve and into the right ventricle
From there it’s pumped into the pulmonary artery/trunk
The pulmonary artery carries de-oxygenated blood to the lungs
The pulmonary valve prevents the back flow of blood into the right ventricles (when the ventricle muscles relax)
After leaving the heart the pulmonary artery divided into the left and right pulmonary arteries, which carries the Venus blood to the lungs so an exchange of gases can take place
Coming back from the lungs, a pulmonary vein from each lung, carrying the newly oxygenated blood back into the left atrium
The blood then passes through the left AV valve into the left ventricle
From there it is pumped into the aorta (which is the first artery in systemic circulation) - then the rest of the body
The opening of the aorta is guarded by the aortic valve, which is formed from 3 semi-lunar cusps
What does AV stand for?
Atrioventricular
Why is the muscle layer wall of the atria thinner than that of the ventricles?
The ventricles have to work harder to perform their function - they have to pump blood around the whole body
Whereas the atria, usually assisted by gravity only have to pump blood around the heart.
The pulmonary artery performs a function that no other artery in the body does, what is it?
The pulmonary artery is the only artery in the body that carries de-oxygenated blood
Of which it carries it to the lungs
What is the pulmonary valve formed from?
The pulmonary valve is formed from 3 semi-lunar cusps
What is the purpose of the pulmonary valve?
this valve prevents the back flow of blood into the right ventricles (when the ventricle muscles relax)
When labelling a heart there are 13 parts, can you name them?
Superior vena cava Aorta Right atrium Inferior vena cava Pulmonary artery Pulmonary valve Tricuspid valve Left atrium Pulmonary veins Mitral valve Atrial valve Left ventricle Right ventricle
