Simpleimage of blood circulation
The tricuspid and mitral valves lie between the atria and ventricles. Pulmonic valve (also called pulmonary valve).There are four heart valves within the heart: As blood leaves each chamber of the heart, it passes through a valve. The atria and ventricles work together, contracting and relaxing to pump blood out of the heart. The right and left sides of the heart are further divided into two top chambers called the atria, which receive blood from the veins, and two bottom chambers called ventricles, which pump blood into the arteries. It is divided into the left and right side by a wall called the septum. On the inside, the heart is a four-chambered, hollow organ. The major blood vessels connected to your heart are the aorta, the superior vena cava, the inferior vena cava, the pulmonary artery (which takes oxygen-poor blood from the heart to the lungs where it is oxygenated), the pulmonary veins (which bring oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the heart), and the coronary arteries (which supply blood to the heart muscle). The strong muscular walls contract (squeeze), pumping blood to the arteries. Looking at the outside of the heart, you can see that the heart is made of muscle. The heart is located under the rib cage, to the left of your breastbone (sternum) and between your lungs. Where Is Your Heart and What Does It Look Like?
![simpleimage of blood circulation simpleimage of blood circulation](https://www.101diagrams.com/wp-content/uploads/2017/03/heart-blood-flow-diagram-circulatory.jpg)
Your heart is the pump that makes it all possible. That's long enough to go around the world more than twice!īlood flows continuously through your body's blood vessels. This vast system of blood vessels - arteries, veins, and capillaries - is over 60,000 miles long. The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart. Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart.
![simpleimage of blood circulation simpleimage of blood circulation](https://userfiles.steadyhealth.com/images/articles/gingko-biloba-tree.jpg)
These are blood vessels that take blood back to the heart this blood lacks oxygen (oxygen-poor) and is rich in waste products that are to be excreted or removed from the body. Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide, and other waste products to pass to and from our organ's cells. These are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins. They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood farther from the heart. Arteries carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body's tissues. They begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart. There are three main types of blood vessels: This is necessary to sustain life and promote the health of all the body's tissues. In addition to carrying fresh oxygen from the lungs and nutrients to your body's tissues, it also takes the body's waste products, including carbon dioxide, away from the tissues. The vessels are elastic tubes that carry blood to every part of the body.īlood is essential. How Does Blood Travel Through the Heart?Īs the heart beats, it pumps blood through a system of blood vessels, called the circulatory system. This fist-sized powerhouse beats (expands and contracts) 100,000 times per day, pumping five or six quarts of blood each minute, or about 2,000 gallons per day. It continuously pumps oxygen and nutrient-rich blood throughout your body to sustain life.