Circulatory Vessels/Heart

The Circulatory System

Structure of the Heart: Background Info

• 4 chambers : A chamber is space that collects blood

• In medicine, left/right directions are based on the PATIENT'S perspective, not the observer

The 4 Chambers

1. Right Atrium

2. Right Ventricle

3. Left Atrium

4. Left Ventricle

-Atria are Above ventricles

-Ventricles are Voluminous- ventricles are made of thick muscle that contracts to pump blood

Step 1: Blood enters the heart

Blood from the body enters the heart's Right Atrium chamber

Multiple Select

What was blood doing in the body? (check all that apply)

• Transporting oxygen to the body

• Transporting CO2 to the body

• Transporting nutrients to the body

• Transporting immune cells to the body

• Transporting waste to the body

How does blood "carry" gases like O2 & CO2?

• Red blood cells (RBCs) contain the protein hemoglobin

• oxygen (O2) and carbon dioxide (CO2) can bind to hemoglobin, and thus are carried in the blood

• When red blood cells are carrying a lot of O2 = oxygenated blood

• When red blood cells are carrying low amounts of O2 = deoxygenated blood

Okay, back to step 1:

Blood from the body enters the heart's Right Atrium chamber

Multiple Choice

When blood is coming to the right atrium from the body, what type of blood would it be? *hint* think about what blood was doing there

• Oxygenated blood

• Deoxygenated blood

Great! So deoxygenated blood enters the Right Atrium (RA). Now it will flow into chamber 2: the Right Ventricle (RV)

Next, the right ventricle pumps (remember ventricle=voluminous muscle) the blood out through the pulmonary artery

• Pulm = lung

• Artery = Away from heart

• At the lungs, blood picks up oxygen

Multiple Choice

When blood is coming from the lungs, what type of blood would it be? *hint* think about what blood was doing there

• Oxygenated blood

• Deoxygenated blood

Oxygenated! Our hemoglobin is now full of O2.

From the lungs, blood returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins.

• Pulm = lung

• Veins = blood returns to heart

• Blood enters chamber 3: Left Atrium

Multiple Choice

After the left atrium, where do you suppose blood will flow next?

• Right atrium

• Right ventricle

• Left Atrium

• Left Ventricle

Left Atrium will empty into the Left Ventricle!

After the left ventricle, the blood is pumped into the aorta, which brings blood to the body.

Multiple Choice

If the aorta is bringing blood away from the heart, what kind of blood vessel is it?

• Artery

• Vein

Multiple Choice

Last one! Blood goes to the body to deliver oxygen again. What chamber of the heart will the blood enter when it goes back to the heart?

• Left Atrium

• Left Ventricle

• Right Atrium

• Right Ventricle

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