Anatomy of the Heart

Now we all have a heart, even if it is harder to tell with some people. But did you ever realize how many parts the heart has? Do you know how the heart directs blood through our body? Well once you see how simple it actually is I think you will be surprised!

Ok so the deoxygenated blood comes into the heart through the Superioir and Inferior Vena Cava (FUN FACT: The superior vena cava carries blood from the upper half of the body while the inferior vena cava carries blood from the lower half of the body). It then goes into the Right Atrium. The blood flows through the tricuspid valve into the Right Ventricle. It then goes through the Pulmonary Valve into the Pulmonary Artery. This leads the blood to the lungs.

Once the blood gets to the lungs it becomes oxygenated. It moves through the arterioles, capillaries, then the venules. The the blood moves through to the Pulmonary Vein (blood flow is now red because it is oxygenated.) 

The blood enters the Left Atrium from the Pulmonary Artery. It moves through the Mitral Valve into the Left Ventricle. The blood then moves through the Aortic Valve into the Aorta. The aorta pumps the oxygenated blood throughout the body.

Well you just saw the flow of blood through the heart! Pretty simple right?! But there are still more parts of the heart to learn! 

The Coronary Arteries carry blood away from the heart. The aorta is an artery that pumps most of the blood around the body. The coronary arteries pump blood to the heart muscle supplying the atriums, ventricles, and septum with oxygenated and nutrient filled blood. The Coronary Veins drain blood from the muscular tissue of the heart.The Septum is the wall that divides the right and left sides of the heart. The part of the septum that divides that atriums(upper chambers of the heart) is the atrial septum. The part of the septum that divides the ventricles(the lower chambers)is the ventricular septum. The atrioventricular node, also know as the AV Node, is an electrical part that controls the top of the heart. It connects the atrium and the ventricle chambers electrically. The sinoatrial node, also know as the SA Node, is a group of little neurons that beat rhythmically. They set up the underlying beat of the heart.

Well even though it seems like it is pretty complicated it is a pretty easy thing to understand. Bet you won't think of heart candy the same way on Valentine's Day ever again!