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