Physiology 2130 Lecture 8: Module 8 - Circulatory System 1
4 Dec 2016
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Document Summary
The heart consists of two side-by-side pumps: the right atrium and ventricle (pumps blood to the lungs), and the left atrium and ventricle (pumps blood to the rest of the body). The wall of the left ventricle is much thicker than the wall of the right ventricle. This ventricle must contract more forcefully then the right to propel the blood through the entire systemic circulation. The valves in the hear (ensure one-way flow of blood) have several different names. The right atrioventricular (av) valve is also known as the tricuspid valve, and the left atrioventricular (av) valve is also known as the bicuspid/mitral valve. After flowing through the body, the blood enters the heart at the right atrium. It then passes through the right atrioventricular valve and into the right ventricle. When the right ventricle contracts, it ejects the blood out of the heart through the pulmonary valve and into the pulmonary artery to the lungs.
