The Heart Flashcards
Heart
pump, which is made of two pumps into one, pushes blood through two distinct circuits
Pulmonary circuit
blood is pushed from the heart to the lungs, and then back to the heart
Systemic circuit
blood is pushed from the heart out to the various body systems and tissues, and then back to the heart
How much blood does the human heart pump?
7200 liters of blood a day/1800 gallons
Heart location
thoracic cavity, in the pericardial cavity, covered by a membrane known as the pericardium
Base (top)
the part in which the great vessels arise
Apex (bottom)
the pointed tip to the inferior end of the heart
Cardiac muscle fibers
branching, intercalated discs, striations, one nucleus per cell; auto-rhythmic - capable of contracting on their own
Structures of the heart
four chambers, great vessels, four valves
Heart chambers
right atrium, left atrium, right ventricle, left ventricle
Ventricles
located towards the apex (bottom) part of the heart, thick walled, left ventricle has the thickest chamber wall
Great Vessels
aorta, pulmonary trunk, superior vena cava, inferior vena cava, pulmonary vein
Artery
A vessel that carries blood away from the heart
Vein
A vessel that carries blood towards the heart
Aorta
carries blood away from the left ventricle, goes to various body and organ tissues
Pulmonary trunk
carries blood away from the right ventricle, going to the lungs
Superior vena cava
carries blood toward the right atrium, coming back from the upper body
Inferior vena cava
carries blood toward the right atrium, coming back from the lower body
Pulmonary veins
carry blood toward the left atrium, coming from the lungs, come from both right and left sides
The four valves
designed to prevent backflow of blood
Tricuspid valve (right atrioventricular valve)
located between the right atrium and the right ventricle, prevents backflow into the right atrium, three large cusps
Bicupsid valve (left atrioventricular valve)
located between the left atrium and left ventricle, prevents backflow into the left atrium, two large cusps
Pulmonary semilunar valve
located at the base of the pulmonary trunk, it prevents backflow into the right ventricle
Aortic semilunar valve
located at the base of the aorta, prevents backflow into the left ventricle
Route of blood flow through the heart
deoxygenated blood from the tissues begins to return toward the heart in larger veins, reaches the superior vena cava or inferior vena cava, enters the right atrium, through the tricuspid valve, enters the right ventricle, through the pulmonary semilunar valve, through the pulmonary trunk, through pulmonary arteries to the right and left lung, is oxygenated, through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium, through the bicuspid valve and enters the left ventricle, through the aortic semilunar valve into the aortic arch, to aorta, to smaller arteries, and back to the tissues