The right and left are the thick inferior chambers of the heart that pump blood into the arteries.

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The heart weighs between 200 and 425 grams and is a little larger than the size of your fist. It has a volume capacity of 80-100mls. By the end of a long life a person’s heart may have beat more than 3.5 billion times. In fact, each day the average heart beats about 100,000 times, pumping around 7500 litres of blood.

The right and left are the thick inferior chambers of the heart that pump blood into the arteries.
Your heart is located between your lungs in the middle of your chest, behind and slightly to the left of your breastbone. A double layered membrane called the pericardium surrounds your heart like a sac. The outer layer of the pericardium surrounds the roots of your hearts major blood vessels and is attached by ligaments to your spinal column, diaphragm and other parts of your body. The inner layer of the pericardium is attached to the heart muscle. A coating of fluid separates the two layers of membrane, letting the heart move as it beats, yet still be attached to your body.

Your heart has 4 chambers. The upper chambers are called the left and right atria and the lower chambers are called the left and right ventricles. A wall of muscle called the septum separates the left and right atria and the left and right ventricles. These are referred to as the atrial and ventricular septum. You may have heard your doctor refer to a condition called a ‘hole in the heart’. This simply means a tiny hole in the atrial septum separating the atria (called a PFO– Patent Foramen ovale or ASD—Atrial Septal Defect) or in the ventricular septum separating the ventricles (called a VSD—Ventricular Septal Defect). The left ventricle is the largest and strongest chamber in your heart.

The left ventricle’s chamber walls are only about 1.0 to 1.3cm, but they have enough force to push blood through the aortic valve and into your body.

Four types of valve regulate blood flow through your heart:

  1. The tricuspid valve regulates blood flow between the right atrium and right ventricle.
  2. The pulmonary valve controls blood flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary arteries, which carry blood to your lungs to pick up oxygen.
  3. The mitral valve lets oxygen rich blood from your lungs pass from the left atrium into the left ventricle.
  4. The aortic valve opens the way for oxygen rich blood to pass from the left ventricle into the aorta, your body’s largest artery, where it is delivered to the rest of your body.

A more detailed description of blood flow through the heart is seen below.

Blood enters the right atrium of the heart through the superior vena cava. The right atrium contracts and pushes the blood cells through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. The right ventricle then contracts and pushes the blood through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery, which takes it to the lungs. In the lungs, the blood cells exchange carbon dioxide for oxygen. The oxygenated blood returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins and enters the left atrium. The left atrium contracts and pumps the blood through the mitral valve into the left ventricle. Finally, the left ventricle contracts and pushes the blood into the aorta. The aorta branches off into several different arteries that pump the oxygenated blood to various parts of the body.

The heart is divided into four chambers. The two upper chambers are called the atria. The right atrium and left atrium are separated by a wall of tissue called the atrial septum. The two lower chambers are called the ventricles, and are separated into the right and left ventricle by the ventricular septum. The ventricles have thicker walls and pump blood to the lungs and body.

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Your heart is a strong, muscular organ situated slightly to the left of your chest. It pumps blood to all parts of the body through a network of blood vessels by continuously expanding and contracting. On average, your heart will beat 100,000 times and pump about 2,000 gallons of blood each day.

The heart is divided into a right and left side, separated by a septum. Each side has an atrium (which receives blood as it enters) and a ventricle (from which blood is pumped out). The heart has a total of four chambers: right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium and left ventricle.

The right side of the heart collects oxygen-depleted blood and pumps it to the lungs, through the pulmonary arteries, so that the lungs can refresh the blood with a fresh supply of oxygen.

The left side of the heart receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs, then pumps blood out to the rest of the body's tissues, through the aorta.

Valves maintain direction of blood flow

As the heart pumps blood, a series of valves open and close tightly. These valves ensure that blood flows in only one direction, preventing backflow.

  • The tricuspid valve is situated between the right atrium and right ventricle.
  • The pulmonary valve is between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery.
  • The mitral valve is between the left atrium and left ventricle.
  • The aortic valve is between the left ventricle and the aorta.

The right and left are the thick inferior chambers of the heart that pump blood into the arteries.

Each heart valve, except for the mitral valve, has three flaps (leaflets) that open and close like gates on a fence. The mitral valve has two valve leaflets.

The circulatory system

While the heart and lungs are the largest organs of the circulatory system, the blood vessels are the longest. This extended network of stretchy tubes circulates blood throughout the body. Laid end-to-end, your body's blood vessels would extend about 60,000 miles. That's more than 21 road trips between New York and Los Angeles!

Arteries (along with smaller arterioles and microscopic capillaries) convey oxygen- and nutrient-rich blood to the body's tissues. In turn, veins bring nutrient-depleted blood back to the heart. Along the way, blood is routed through the kidneys and liver, as well, filtering waste products from the blood.

Electrical impulses keep the beat

The heart's four chambers pump in an organized manner with the help of electrical impulses that originate in the sinoatrial node (also called the "SA node"). Situated on the wall of the right atrium, this small cluster of specialized cells is the heart's natural pacemaker, initiating electrical impulses at a normal rate.

The impulse spreads through the walls of the right and left atria, causing them to contract, forcing blood into the ventricles. The impulse then reaches the atrioventricular (AV) node, which acts as an electrical bridge for impulses to travel from the atria to the ventricles. From there, a pathway of fibers (the HIS-Purkinje network) carries the impulse into the ventricles, which contract and force blood out of the heart.

Heart anatomy: By the numbers

1. Superior vena cava: Receives blood from the upper body; delivers blood into the right atrium.

2. Inferior vena cava: Receives blood from the lower extremities, pelvis and abdomen, and delivers blood into the right atrium.

3. Right atrium: Receives blood returning to the heart from the superior and inferior vena cava; transmits blood to the right ventricle, which pumps blood to the lungs for oxygenation.

4. Tricuspid valve: Allows blood to pass from the right atrium to the right ventricle; prevents blood from flowing back into the right atrium as the heart pumps (systole).

5. Right ventricle: Receives blood from the right atrium; pumps blood into the pulmonary artery.

6. Pulmonary valve: Allows blood to pass into the pulmonary arteries; prevents blood from flowing back into the right ventricle.

7. Pulmonary arteries: Carry oxygen-depleted blood from the heart to the lungs.

8. Pulmonary veins: Deliver oxygen-rich blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart.

9. Left atrium: Receives blood returning to the heart from the pulmonary veins.

10. Mitral valve: Allows blood to flow into the left ventricle; prevents blood from flowing back into the left atrium.

11. Left ventricle: Receives oxygen-rich blood from the left atrium and pumps blood into the aorta.

12. Aortic valve: Allows blood to pass from the left ventricle to the aorta; prevents backflow of blood into the left ventricle.

13. Aorta: Distributes blood throughout the body from the heart.

What are the thick inferior chambers of the heart that pump blood into the arteries?

A typical heart has two upper and two lower chambers. The upper chambers, the right and left atria, receive incoming blood. The lower chambers, the more muscular right and left ventricles, pump blood out of the heart.

What is the thick wall between the right and left side of the heart called?

Muscular walls, called septa or septum, divide the heart into two sides. On the right side of the heart, the right atrium and ventricle work to pump oxygen-poor blood to the lungs. On the left side, the left atrium and ventricle combine to pump oxygenated blood to the body.

Which side of the heart left or right pumps blood into the lungs?

The right ventricle pumps the blood to the lungs where it becomes oxygenated. The oxygenated blood is brought back to the heart by the pulmonary veins which enter the left atrium.

Where does the left and right ventricle pump blood to?

The right ventricle pumps the oxygen-poor blood to the lungs through the pulmonary valve. The left atrium receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle through the mitral valve. The left ventricle pumps the oxygen-rich blood through the aortic valve out to the rest of the body.

How does blood flow through the right and left sides of the heart?

The right ventricle pumps the low-oxygen blood to the lungs to pick up a fresh supply of oxygen. The left atrium receives to high-oxygen blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle. The left ventricle pumps the high-oxygen blood to the rest of the body.

Does the left or right side of the heart pump deoxygenated blood?

The right ventricle receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium, then pumps the blood along to the lungs to get oxygen. The left ventricle receives oxygenated blood from the left atrium, then sends it on to the aorta. The aorta branches into the systemic arterial network that supplies all of the body.