The Cardiovascular System
How many chambers does the human heart contain?
-4 chambers
Upper chambers
-atria (singular: atrium)
Valves
-between each chamber -prevent the back-flow of blood
What connect arteries and veins?
-capillaries
Arteries
-carry blood away from the heart -blood vessels -muscular, elastic walls to help move blood throughout the body
Veins
-carry blood toward the heart -blood vessels -have one-way valves to prevent the back-flow of blood on its return to the heart
Capillaries
-connect arteries and veins
Pulse
-each time the ventricles contract, blood is forced thru the arteries -force causes a pulse (beat) that is felt in arteries at the wrist, neck, and temple -the pulse is exactly the same as the heart beat
Oxygen-poor blood
-enters the heart thru the right atrium and is pumped into the right ventricle -the blood then travels to the pulmonary artery -goes into the lungs -in the lungs, the blood gives off carbon dioxide and picks up oxygen -oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart by way of the pulmonary vein -oxygen-rich blood enters the left atrium and is pumped into the left ventricle -the blood is pumped out of the heart thru the aorta to cells in the rest of the body
Human Heart (How big? Where is it located? How many chambers?
-fist-sized muscle -located to the left of the center of the chest -contains 4 chambers
Pulmonary artery
-goes into the lungs -receives blood after it's pumped into the right ventricle
Lungs
-in the lungs, the blood gives off carbon dioxide and picks up oxygen
Oxygen-rich blood
-in the lungs, the blood gives off carbon dioxide and picks up oxygen -oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart by way of the pulmonary vein -enters the left atrium -pumped into the left ventricle
Blood leaving the right ventricle
-only goes to the lungs
Left Atrium
-oxygen-rich blood then enters the left atrium and is pumped into the left ventricle
Pulmonary Vein
-returns oxygen-rich blood to the body
Pulse vs. heart beat
-the exact same
Is the muscular wall of the left or right ventricle thicker? Why?
-the muscular wall of the left ventricle is thicker because it has to pump blood to the entire body -blood leaving the right ventricle only goes to the lungs
Blood is pumped out of the heart through what?
-through the aorta to cells in the rest of the body
Lower chambers
-ventricles
