ACLS Online Library: Anatomy of the Heart

The human heart is a myogenic muscular organ accountable for pumping blood through all of the blood vessels by continuous, rhythmic contractions. About the size of your fist, the human heart weighs approximately 250 grams to 350 grams. The heart is situated in front of the vertebral column, behind the sternum.

Exterior of the Heart

The exterior of the heart contains the four, basic chambers that comprise it. These are the left and the right atria, and the left and the right ventricles. Many main blood vessels that comprise the blood circulatory system connect to the heart by its exterior. Its right ventricle pumps the blood from the heart to the lungs; carbon dioxide is transported from the blood through blood vessels to the lungs and expelled from the body in an exhalation. The heart’s left atrium gets the blood that is oxygen-rich from the lungs. The left ventricle’s pumping motion delivers said oxygen-rich blood through your aorta and then to other parts of your body.

· Aorta: The aorta is an artery that spreads oxygen-rich blood throughout the human body.

· Pulmonary artery: The pulmonary artery is an artery that carries blood to the lungs.

· Left coronary artery: It rises out of the aorta above the aortic valve’s left cusp.

· Left pulmonary artery: It travels horizontally before the aorta and the left bronchus to the left lung’s root.

· Left pulmonary vein: The left pulmonary vein is a blood vessel that carries blood from the lungs to the heart’s left atrium.

· Left atrium: The left atrium is one of the four chambers in a human heart.

· Left anterior descending artery: The left anterior descending artery is an artery that travels behind the pulmonary artery.

· Left ventricle: The left ventricle is a chamber in the heart that gets oxygenated blood from the left atrium.

· Right ventricle: The right ventricle is a chamber in the heart that gets deoxygenated blood from the right atrium.

· Inferior vena cava: The inferior vena cava is a large vein carrying deoxygenated blood to the right atrium.

· Right coronary artery: The right coronary artery is an artery that goes towards the heart’s crux.

· Right atrium: The right atrium is a chamber in the heart that gets deoxygenated blood from both the inferior and the superior vena cava.

· Right pulmonary vein: The right pulmonary vein is a blood vessel that goes behind the superior vena cava and right atrium.

· Right pulmonary artery: The right pulmonary artery travels in front of the right bronchus.

· Superior vena cava: The superior vena cava is a vein that carries deoxygenated blood to the right atrium of the heart.

· Human heart anatomy diagram

· Middle Mediastinum and Heart

· How the Heart Works

· Heart Anatomy

· Your Heart and Circulatory System

Left Side of the Heart

The left side of the heart provides a space for the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to pass right through the pulmonary veins. The blood then goes into the left atrium, where it is then pumped inside of the left ventricle. Out of this left ventricle, the oxygen-rich blood is then pumped all through to the rest of the body. The aorta is the main artery in charge of distributing the blood to the whole body.

· Anatomy of the Heart

· Operative Approach

· Left Atrium and Pulmonary Veins

· Left atrium dimension

Right Side of the Heart

The right side of the heart is where the largest veins in your body, the superior and interior vena cava, carry blood back to your heart’s right atrium. The superior vena cava transfers the blood that is oxygen-poor from the upper parts of the body. The inferior vena cava, in contrast, transfers oxygen-poor blood from the body’s lower parts. From these veins, the blood makes it to the right ventricle, from which it is pumped through the pulmonary arteries into the lungs. Once there, the blood absorbs more oxygen and then travels back through the lungs to the heart thanks to the pulmonary veins.

· Atlas of Human Cardiac Anatomy

· Frontal Section 5 - Right Atrium

· About the Heart

· NYU Langone Medical Center

· Double outlet right ventricle

Interior of the Heart

The interior of the heart is where all the life-sustaining blood flows. The vena cava take the blood that has been depleted of its oxygen from the body back to the lungs. In turn, the large artery called the aorta transports blood that is rich in oxygen once more to the rest of the body. The heart is split in two by a dividing wall of tissues that is termed the septum.

· Mitral valve: The mitral valve sits between the left ventricle and the left atrium; it is a dual-flap valve in the heart.

· Interatrial septum: The interatrial septum is a dividing wall made of tissue that separates the left atria and the right atria of the heart.

· Interventricular septum: The interventricular septum is a wall that divides the right ventricle and the left ventricle of the heart. It is also called the median septum.

· Pulmonary valve: The pulmonary valve sits between the heart’s pulmonary artery and right ventricle.

· Tricuspid valve: The tricuspid valve is located in between the right ventricle and the right atrium, on the right dorsal side.

· Aortic valve: One of the heart’s valves, the aortic valve usually is formed with three leaflets.

· Heart Model, Interior View

· Heart Pictures, Cardiovascular Photos

· Images from inside the heart

· Valves of the Heart

· Heart Valves