Anatomy and Physiology (Cardiovascular System)

A. Heart Chambers

The heart has four chambers, two atria and two ventricles. The atria
are smaller with thin walls, while the ventricles are larger and stronger.

Atrium

There are two atria on either side of the heart. On the right side is the
atrium that contains the blood which is poorly oxygenated. The left atrium
contains blood which has been oxygenated and is ready to be sent into the
body. The right atrium receives de-oxygenated blood from the superior vena
cava and inferior vena cava. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from
the right luminary veins.

Ventricles

The ventricle is a heart chamber that collects blood from an atrium and
pumps it out of the heart. The right ventricle pumps the blood into the
pulmonary circulation to the lungs, and the left ventricle pumps blood into
the systemic circulation for the rest of the body. Ventricles have thicker walls
than the atria and thus can create a higher blood pressure. Comparing the
left and the right ventricles, the left ventricle has thicker walls because it
needs to pump blood to the whole body. This leads the common
misconception that the heart lies on the left side of the body.

Septum

The atrio-ventricular septum completely separates the 2 sides of the

heart. Unless there is a septal defect, the 2 sides of the heart never directly
communicate. Blood travels from right side to left side via the lungs only.
However the chambers themselves work together. The 2 atria contract
simultaneously, and the 2 ventricles contract simultaneously.

Valves

Valves are fibrous flaps of tissue found between the heart chambers
and in the blood vessels. They are rather like gates which prevent blood from
flowing in the wrong direction. They are found in a number of places. Valves
between the atria and ventricles are known as the right and left atrio-
ventricular valves, otherwise known as the tricuspid and mitral valves
respectively. Valves between the ventricles and the great arteries are known
as the semilunar valves. The
 aortic valve is found at the base of the aorta, while the pulmonary
valve is found the base of the pulmonary trunk. There are also many valves
found in veins throughout the body. However, there are no valves found in
any of the other arteries besides the aorta and pulmonary trunk.

Cardiac Conduction System

Going back to the analogy of the central heating system, the pump,
pipes and radiators are of no use unless connected to a power supply. The
pump needs electricity to work. The human heart has a similar need for a
power source and also uses electricity. Thankfully we don't need to plug
ourselves in to the mains, the heart is able to create it's own electrical
impulses and control the route the impulses take via a specialised conduction
pathway.

This pathway is made up of 5 elements:

1. The sino-atrial (SA) node

2. The atrio-ventricular (AV) node

3. The bundle of His

4. The left and right bundle branches

5. The Purkinje fibres