The Heart

Function, Anatomy, Pathway of Blood Flow, Coronary

Arteries and The Cardiac Cycle
Function
3 Main Functions
1. Pumping blood – more than 7,000L is pumped around
your body each day
2. Keeping blood separate – separating oxygenated
blood from deoxygenated blood
3. Keep blood flowing in one direction
Pumping Blood
● Heart is made up of muscle tissue and two pumps
● Each pump contains two chambers – a thin-walled atrium
(plural: atria) and a thick-walled ventricle
● 4 chambers in total

Left Atrium
Right Atrium

Right Ventricle Left Ventricle

Keeping Blood Separate
● Right and left side of the heart is
separated by a wall of muscle called the
septum
● Right side receives deoxygenated blood
from the body and sends it to the lungs
to get rid of CO2 and pick up more O2 Septu
m
● Left side receives oxygenated blood
from lungs and pumps it to the rest of
the body
Moving Blood in One Direction
● 4 valves that prevent backflow
● 2 valves between atria and
ventricles – prevent blood
Pulmonary
moving back into the atria once Valve MitralValve
Tricuspid Aortic Valve
the ventricles contract Valve

● 2 valves between ventricles and

arteries – prevents blood from
flowing back into ventricles once
ventricles finish contracting
Moving Blood in One Direction
● Valves closing make the “lub-dub” sound that your heartbeat
makes
● “Lub” is when the ventricles contract and the valves between
atria and ventricles close
● “Dub” is when the ventricles relax and the valves between
the ventricles and arteries close
Heart Anatomy
 Superior Vena
Cava

Right Pulmonary Aorta

Artery Left Pulmonary Artery

Right Pulmonary Left Pulmonary Veins

Veins
Left Atrium
Pulmonary Valve
Mitral Valve
Right Atrium
Tricuspid
Aortic
Valve
Right Ventricle Valve
Left Ventricle

Inferior Vena Septu

Cava m
Pathway of Blood
Flow
 Superior Vena
Cava

Right Pulmonary Aorta

Artery Left Pulmonary Artery

Right Pulmonary Left Pulmonary Veins

Veins
Left Atrium
Pulmonary
Valve
Mitral Valve
Right Atrium
Tricuspid Valve
Aortic
Right Ventricle Valve
Left Ventricle

Inferior Vena Septu

Cava m
The Right Side of the Heart
● Superior vena cava and the inferior vena
cava carry deoxygenated blood from the
body to the right atrium
● Right atrium contracts and sends blood
through the tricuspid valve to the right
ventricle
● Right ventricle contracts and pushes
blood through the pulmonary valve to the
pulmonary arteries
● Pulmonary arteries carry blood to the
lungs to unload CO2 and pick up O2
The Left Side of the Heart
● Pulmonary veins carry oxygenated blood
from the lungs to the left atrium
● Left atrium contracts and sends blood
through the mitral valve into the left
ventricle
● Left ventricle contracts and pushes blood
through the aortic valve into the aorta
● Aorta carries oxygenated blood to the
rest of the body through many blood
vessels
● Blood returns to the heart through the
Simplify it!
Homework
● Page 275 – #14
● Page 276 – #6, 7, 9
 The Heart
Function, Anatomy, Pathway of Blood Flow, Coronary
Arteries and The Cardiac Cycle
Some Questions...
- What are the three main functions of
the heart?

- How many chambers does the human

heart have?

- Which side of the heart carries

deoxygenated blood? Which side
carries oxygenated blood?
Some Answers...
- The three main functions of the heart are to pump blood, keep blood
separate, and keep blood moving in one direction

- The heart has 4 chambers: 2 atriums and 2 ventricles. Blood first enters the
atriums, and is then pumped through one-way valves into the ventricles

- The right side of the heart carries deoxygenated blood, while the left side
carries oxygenated blood
Recap
Coronary Arteries
Coronary Arteries
● The heart does not use the blood inside itself to get its
nutrients
● Network of blood vessels that surround the heart wall
● 2 main arteries feed the many capillaries – left and right
coronary arteries (branch off the aorta)
The Cardiac Cycle
The Cardiac Cycle & Heartbeat
● Cardiac Cycle – all the events that occur during one heartbeat
● Events:
Blood-filled atria receive electrical signal and contract

Blood leaves atria and fills the ventricles (less than one second)

Ventricles receive electrical signal and contract

Heart relaxes (atria fill up again)

The Cardiac Cycle & Heartbeat
The Activity
 Chart the Heart
and Blood Flow
- Label the heart
- Trace the path of blood through
the heart, making sure you colour
code where the blood is
deoxygenated and oxygenated
 - Right Atrium
- Left Atrium
- Right Ventricle
- Left Ventricle
Some Key Words - Valve
Use this list of keywords to help jog
your memory when labelling your
- Vena Cava
worksheet - Aorta
- Veins and Arteries