Blood Flow Through Heart

Step 9

Blood flows from capillaries into systemic venules that carry deoxygenated blood away from tissues and merge into larger veins. Ultimately, the blood reaches the Superior Vena Cava and Inferior Vena Cava.

Step 5

Blood travels in the pulmonary veins to the heart.

Step 10

From the Inferior and Superior Vena cava, blood enters the right atrium and the cycle repeats itself at Step 1.

Step 4

In the lung, the arteries become smaller arterioles, and then capillaries. It is in the pulmonary capillaries where blood unloads carbon dioxide and picks up oxygen. When it picks up oxygen it is called oxygenated blood. The oxygenated blood flows into pulmonary venules and eventually into the larger right pulmonary vein (blood from right lung) and left pulmonary vein (blood from left vein) (5).

Step 8

The aorta branches into progressively smaller systemic arteries (ARTERIES = AWAY), , such as the Brachiocephalic trunk, Left common carotid artery and Left subclavian artery. The oxygenated blood travels around the body through these arteries to all organs of the body (except the air sacs of the lung). Systemic arteries become systemic arterioles, which finally lead to systemic capillaries. In the systemic capillaries, oxygen is exchanged for carbon dioxide.

Step 7

The left ventricle contracts and pumps oxygenated blood through the aortic semilunar valve and into the (8) aorta (Ascending then Arch).

Step 3

The right and left pulmonary arteries take deoxygenated blood from the heart into the corresponding lung (4).

Step 2

When the right ventricle contracts, the deoxygenated blood is forced through the pulmonary semilunar valve and into the pulmonary trunk (3), which divides into right and left pulmonary arteries.

Step 6

Oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins enter the left atrium of the heart. The left atrium contracts and pushes the blood through the Bicuspid (Mitral) valve into the left ventricle.

Step 1

The right atrium receives deoxygenated (oxygen poor) blood, returning from systemic circulation, from the inferior vena cava and the superior vena cava (veins).When the right atrium contracts, the deoxygenated blood is forced through the tricuspid valve (right av) down into the right ventricle(2).