§2.1
Your heart has two sides: the right-hand side, which pumps blood to your lungs and the left
side, which pumps oxygen-rich blood to all other organs, no matter how far away they are.
This is why the left side has a thicker wall of cardiac muscle tissue.
Your heart has four chambers: two upper chambers: left and right atrium and the two lower
chambers called the left and right ventricles.
Your heart beats by contracting and relaxing its cardiac muscle tissue. In a single heartbeat,
first both atria contract at the same time then the ventricles contract at the same time after
the atria relax.
Blood flows in a single direction: atria-ventricles-lungs and other organs. There is a valve
between each atrium and each ventricle. Valves work like doors that open only in one
direction. There are four valves:
Bicuspid valve (right atrium and ventricle)
Tricuspid valve (left atrium and ventricle)
Pulmonary valve (right ventricle and pulmonary artery
Aortic valve (left ventricle and aorta)
The bicuspid and tricuspid valve control blood flow into the ventricles.
The pulmonary and aortic valve are between each ventricle and the blood vessel that
connects to it.
Left (blue) side of the heart: oxygen rich blood
Right (red) side of the heart: oxygen poor blood
wall between left and right side: Septum
The septum keeps the two types of blood separated, if they mixed within the heart, your
cells wouldn’t receive the oxygen they need.
, §2.2
The circulatory system can be divided in 3 parts:
Pulmonary circulation: lungs
Systemic circulation: other organs
Coronary circulation: the heart itself
The heart is connected to the lungs by the pulmonary circulation, with the help of the veins
and arteries.
In the pulmonary circulation blood goes from the heart to the lungs with 2 pulmonary
arteries (1 for each lung) in the lungs it becomes oxygenated and then the 2 pulmonary
arteries bring blood back to the heart. In short:
Blood from the right ventricle – pulmonary arteries – lungs (picks up oxygen, discards carbon
dioxide) – pulmonary veins – left atrium
In the systemic circulation blood goes to cells. It also transports waste substance from the
cells back to your heart.
Your heart has two sides: the right-hand side, which pumps blood to your lungs and the left
side, which pumps oxygen-rich blood to all other organs, no matter how far away they are.
This is why the left side has a thicker wall of cardiac muscle tissue.
Your heart has four chambers: two upper chambers: left and right atrium and the two lower
chambers called the left and right ventricles.
Your heart beats by contracting and relaxing its cardiac muscle tissue. In a single heartbeat,
first both atria contract at the same time then the ventricles contract at the same time after
the atria relax.
Blood flows in a single direction: atria-ventricles-lungs and other organs. There is a valve
between each atrium and each ventricle. Valves work like doors that open only in one
direction. There are four valves:
Bicuspid valve (right atrium and ventricle)
Tricuspid valve (left atrium and ventricle)
Pulmonary valve (right ventricle and pulmonary artery
Aortic valve (left ventricle and aorta)
The bicuspid and tricuspid valve control blood flow into the ventricles.
The pulmonary and aortic valve are between each ventricle and the blood vessel that
connects to it.
Left (blue) side of the heart: oxygen rich blood
Right (red) side of the heart: oxygen poor blood
wall between left and right side: Septum
The septum keeps the two types of blood separated, if they mixed within the heart, your
cells wouldn’t receive the oxygen they need.
, §2.2
The circulatory system can be divided in 3 parts:
Pulmonary circulation: lungs
Systemic circulation: other organs
Coronary circulation: the heart itself
The heart is connected to the lungs by the pulmonary circulation, with the help of the veins
and arteries.
In the pulmonary circulation blood goes from the heart to the lungs with 2 pulmonary
arteries (1 for each lung) in the lungs it becomes oxygenated and then the 2 pulmonary
arteries bring blood back to the heart. In short:
Blood from the right ventricle – pulmonary arteries – lungs (picks up oxygen, discards carbon
dioxide) – pulmonary veins – left atrium
In the systemic circulation blood goes to cells. It also transports waste substance from the
cells back to your heart.
