Heart Flashcards
(18 cards)
aorta
Main and largest artery. It passes over the heart from the left ventricle and runs down in front of the backbone.
pulmonary artery
Blood vessels that carry oxygen-poor blood from the right side of your heart to your lungs.
pulmonary veins
Blood vessels that carry oxygenated blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart.
left atrium
a chamber in the heart that receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the left ventricle.
left ventricle
It is located on the left side of the heart and is responsible for pumping oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.
superior vena cava
Large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the head, neck, arms, and chest back to the heart.
inferior vena cava
Large vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the lower body (legs, pelvis, abdomen) to the right atrium of the heart.
right atrium
Receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the right ventricle.
right ventricle
Pumps blood low in oxygen to the lungs. In the lungs, the blood then gets a “refill” of oxygen.
four chambers of the heart
The heart has 4 main sections, or “chambers.” The top 2 chambers are called the right atrium and left atrium. The bottom 2 chambers are called the right and left ventricles. Each of these chambers has a valve that keeps blood flowing in 1 direction.
Blood flow direction
The heart itself is made up of 4 chambers, 2 atria and 2 ventricles. De-oxygenated blood returns to the right side of the heart via the venous circulation. It is pumped into the right ventricle and then to the lungs where carbon dioxide is released and oxygen is absorbed. The oxygenated blood then travels back to the left side of the heart into the left atria, then into the left ventricle from where it is pumped into the aorta and arterial circulation.
Diastolic Blood Pressure
The pressure created in the arteries by the contraction of the left ventricle is the systolic blood pressure. Once the left ventricle has fully contracted it begins to relax and refill with blood from the left atria. The pressure in the arteries falls whilst the ventricle refills.
atrio-ventricular septum
completely separates the 2 sides of the heart. Unless there is a septal defect, the 2 sides of the heart never directly communicate.
The sino-atrial (SA) node
considered the pacemaker of the heart. Its electrical signals normally cause the atria of an adult’s heart to contract at a rate of about 60
The atrio-ventricular (AV) node
the “gatekeeper” between the atria and the ventricles and is located at the AV junction on the right side of the heart
The bundle of His
a bundle of specialized muscle fibers in the heart that carries electrical impulses from the atria to the ventricles
The left and right bundle branches
two specialized structures within the heart’s electrical conduction system that carry electrical impulses from the atrioventricular (AV) node to the left and right ventricles, respectively
The Purkinje fibres
specialized nerve fibers found in the heart. They play a crucial role in the electrical conduction system of the heart, ensuring the coordinated contraction of the heart chambers.
