Heart

The weight of the average human heart is 300g for an adult male and 200g-250g for an
adult female.
The heart is found in the thoracic cavity, between the lungs and below the left lung. The
heart rests on the diaphragm.
The heart is a muscular organ surrounded by a double membrane called pericardium.
Pericardium of the heart:
a. Maintains the shape of the heart.
b. Pericardial cells in the membranes of the pericardium secrete a fluid
known as pericardial fluid, which reduces friction between the layers of
the pericardium during pumping or moving of the heart.
c. Protects the heart.
The heart is made up of cardiac muscle tissues.
The heart is myogenic.
Coronary artery which branches from aorta delivers oxygen and nutrients to the heart
itself, while coronary vein collects carbon dioxide and wastes from the heart into its
right side.
Veins carry blood into the heart while arteries
carry blood away from the heart.

The heart has four chambers:

1. Upper Chamber, which contains:
a. Right atrium and
b. Left atrium
2. Lower Chamber, which contains:
a. Right ventricle and
b. Left ventricle

The heart is separated by a muscular wall called inter-ventricular septum (or

septum) into right and left side.
The atria have thin muscular walls as they pump blood to their close ventricles.
Atria which are thin-walled chambers found on the top pour blood into the
ventricles.

The ventricles have thick muscular walls as they pump blood out of the heart to
either the lungs or other body parts. (Ventricles are thick-walled chambers
compared to the atria).
The left ventricle has thicker muscular walls than the right ventricle as the left
ventricle pumps blood to a long distance with high pressure.
Atrio-ventricular valves are the valves between the atria and ventricles which
prevent backflow of the blood into the atria once the ventricles contract.
The valve between the right atrium and right ventricle is called tricuspid valve,
as it has three flaps, while the valve between the left atrium and left ventricle is
called bicuspid (or mitral) valve, as it has two flaps.
Atrio-ventricular valves are held in place by valve tendons (heart strings)
attached to the papillary muscles, which contract at the same time as the
ventricles; causing the valves that they hold closed.
There are also two semi-lunar valves, known as the pulmonary and aortic
valves, in the arteries that carry blood away from the heart (these vessels are
the only examples of valves in arteries).

Structures found in the heart:

Structures found in the Right Side of
the Heart
1. Vena Cava
2. Right atrium
3. Tricuspid valve
4. Right ventricle
5. Semi-lunar valve (Pulmonary
valve)
6. Pulmonary artery

Structures found in the Left Side of

the Heart
a. Pulmonary vein
b. Left atrium
c. Bicuspid valve
d. Left ventricle
e. Semi-lunar valve (aortic valve)
f. Aorta

Heart structures
1. Vena cava (superior and
inferior vena cava)
2. Pulmonary vein
3. Atria

4. Tricuspid and Bicuspid

valves

5. Valve tendon
6. Ventricles

7. Semi-lunar valves

8. Pulmonary artery

9. Aorta

Functions
Brings deoxygenated blood from
upper and lower parts of the body
into the right atrium
Brings oxygenated blood into the
left atrium from the lungs
- Right atrium receives
deoxygenated blood from vena
cava and pours into the right
ventricle
- Left atrium receives
oxygenated blood from
pulmonary vein and pours into
the left ventricle
- Ensure that blood flows in only
one direction.
- Prevent backflow of the blood
during ventricular
contractions.
To maintain the position of the
tricuspid and bicuspid valves.
- Right ventricle receives
deoxygenated blood from the
right atrium and pumps blood
to the lungs with low pressure.
- Left ventricle receives
oxygenated blood from the left
atrium and pumps blood to all
body parts with high pressure.
To prevent backflow of blood from
the aorta and pulmonary artery
into the left ventricle and right
ventricle respectively.
Carries deoxygenated blood from
the right side of the heart to the
lungs
Carries oxygenated blood away
from the heart to all body parts by
branching into smaller arteries.

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in f e r io r v e n a c a v a

Heartbeat:

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a t r io v e n t r ic u la r ( b ic u s p id ) v a lv e
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 The heartbeat is felt as a pulse, which passes along arteries due to the pressure of
blood pumped out of the left ventricle.
Pulse is a pressure wave that travel rapidly along the arteries
when blood is ejected from the left ventricle through the aorta.
The heart beats around 70- 72 times per minute.
The cycle of contraction of the heart muscle is called a
heartbeat.
The instrument for the heartbeat is called stethoscope.
Most arteries are found deep within the body, but the pulse
rate may be detected at a few places; such as the wrist, back
of the knee, ankle and the neck. These are places where
arteries are found close to the body surfaces.
The heart beat consists of two main phases:
1. Systole Phase:
-

When the heart contracts and forces the blood out of the ventricles it is
known as systole.

2. Diastole Phase:
-

When the heart is relaxed and filling with blood it is known as diastole.

Cardiac Cycle:
The cardiac cycle is the sequences of events which make up one heart beat.
The cardiac cycle is described in terms of; heart contraction (systole) and
relaxation (diastole).
There are three main stages to the cardiac cycle:
1. Atrial Systole:
- In atrial systole, both left and right atrium contract and blood
flows from the atria into the ventricles.
- Backflow of blood into the veins is prevented by the closure
of valves in the veins.
2. Ventricular systole:

In ventricular systole, both ventricles contract.

The atrio-ventricular valves close and the semi-lunar valves
in both aorta and pulmonary artery open.
- Blood flows from the ventricles into the arteries.
3. Ventricular diastole:
- In ventricular diastole, both atria and ventricles relax.
- Blood flows from the veins through the atria and into the
ventricles.

Control of the Heartbeat:

As you know, the heart is myogenic; that is, it can contract and relax without
having to receive impulses from the nervous system.
The cardiac cycle is initiated by a specialized patch of muscle tissues in the wall
of the right atrium called sinoatrial node (SAN) or Pacemaker.
The SAN sends out electrical impulses to the rest of the atria.
Both right and left atria contract at the same time.
The electrical impulses dont pass down to the ventricles. After a delay of about
0.1 seconds, the impulse is passed down through a patch of conducting fibers,
situated in the septum which is known as atrio-ventricular node, or AVN. The
delay ensures that the ventricles dont start to contract before they fill with blood.
Atrio-ventricular node picks up the impulse to a group of bundles called Bundle
of His which runs down the septum between the ventricles and passes the
impulse to the fibres known as Purkinje fibres that are attached on the right and
left ventricular walls. The impulses are carried rapidly to the apex of the
ventricles, which causes the cardiac
muscle in each ventricle to contract
simultaneously; from bottom up.