Welcome to our exploration of heart functioning. The heart is a remarkable muscular organ that works as a pump to circulate blood throughout your body. It has four chambers - two atria at the top and two ventricles at the bottom. The heart continuously delivers oxygen and nutrients to all tissues while removing carbon dioxide and waste products.
Now let's trace the pathway of blood flow through the heart. First, deoxygenated blood from the body enters the right atrium. Then it flows down into the right ventricle. Finally, the right ventricle contracts and pumps this blood to the lungs where it will pick up oxygen and release carbon dioxide.
After picking up oxygen in the lungs, the blood returns to the heart. Oxygenated blood from the lungs enters the left atrium. It then flows down into the left ventricle, which is the heart's most powerful chamber. The left ventricle then contracts forcefully to pump this oxygen-rich blood throughout the entire body, delivering nutrients and oxygen to all tissues.
The heart has four important valves that act like one-way doors to ensure blood flows in the correct direction. The tricuspid valve controls flow from the right atrium to right ventricle. The pulmonary valve controls flow from right ventricle to the lungs. The mitral valve controls flow from left atrium to left ventricle. And the aortic valve controls flow from left ventricle to the body. These valves open and close with each heartbeat, preventing blood from flowing backward.