HEART the Right Atrium and Right Ventricle, Left

Atrium and Left Ventricle.

- Pumps about 300M Liters of blood
through the blood vessels that bring Atria (plural for Atrium) – receives blood
oxygen and nutrients to the cells of returning to the heart from the veins and acts
the body as reservoirs between contractions of the
- Pumps 5 to 35 L of blood per minute heart
- Hollow, muscular organ located in the
Ventricles pump blood into the great arteries
thorax between the lungs
leaving the heart.
Interatrial Septum – wall between the atria
LAYERS OF THE HEART
Interventricular Septum – wall between
Endocardium – the inner layer of the heart ventricles
which consists of a smooth endothelial lining
Auricle – small, muscular pouch that
resting on connective tissue called
increases the surface area of each atrium
Endothelium.
Sequence of Blood Flow
- Endothelium consists of endothelial
cells that resemble simple squamous Right atrium > right ventricle > pulmonary
epithelial cells circulation > left atrium > left ventricle >
systematic circulation
Myocardium – the bulk and middle layer of
the heart; the cardiac muscle which contracts 1. The right atrium receives oxygen-poor
to pump blood blood returning from the tissues
Pericardium – has two layers: 2. The right ventricle pumps it into the
pulmonary circulation (system of blood
- Epicardium / Visceral Pericardium is
vessels that connects the heart and lungs)
the outer layer of the heart and the
inner layer of pericardium 3. Pulmonary Arteries carry blood to the
- Parietal Pericardium is the outer lungs where gases are exchanged. Pulmonary
layer which forms a strong sac for the veins then returns oxygen-rich blood to the
heart and helps to anchor it within the left atrium
thorax
- Pericardium Cavity is a potential 4. The left ventricle pumps oxygen-rich
space that separates the visceral and blood into the aorta (largest artery of the
parietal pericardium systematic circulation). The systematic
Circulation is a network of blood vessels that
delivers blood to all the body systems.
CHAMBERS OF THE HEART
The heart is a double pump divided into right HEART VALVES
and left sides that are separated by a wall or
septum. The four chambers of the heart are Atrioventricular (AV) valve guards the
entrance between each atrium and ventricle,
and prevents backflow of blood.
 - It consists of flaps or cusps, of fibrous BLOOD VESSELS
tissues that project from the heart
Blood travels through Blood vessels to
wall.
deliver oxygen and nutrients throughout the
- Held in place by chordae tendineae,
body. There are three types:
connective tissues popularly referred
to as heart strings. It attach the valves - Arteries carry blood away from the
to the papillary muscles which project heart
from the walls of the ventricles - Veins carry blood into the heart
- Tricuspid valve – right AV Valve - Capillaries make direct contact with
with three cusps tissues and supply them with oxygen
- Bicuspid Valve / Mitral Valve – left
AV valve with two cusps Coronary arteries (right and left) deliver
blood to the heart wall. Coronary veins
Semilunar valve guard the exits from the return blood to the coronary sinus, which
ventricles. Located between each ventricle empties into the right atrium.
and the artery into which it pumps blood.
- Coronary artery disease is a leading
- Aortic semilunar valve is found cause of death in the US, it develops
between the left ventricle and the when the coronary arteries or their
aorta branches become thickened or
- Pulmonary semilunar valve is found blocked, reducing blood flow. Blood
between the right ventricle and the flow to the cardiac muscle is
pulmonary artery decreased or halted, and the affected
cardiac muscle becomes ischemic
Mitral stenosis is a common valve deformity
(lacking blood supply). The tissue is
in which the valve is thickened, causing the
deprived of adequate supply of
opening to narrow and slows the flow of
oxygen and nutrients which can lead
blood from the left atrium into the left
to a myocardial infarction (MI) /
ventricle
Heart attack.
Valve damage can be present at birth, be
damaged by heart disease, hypertension, or
certain infections. THE CONDUCTION SYSTEM
- Mitral valve regurgitation (leaking) is The heart’s conduction system allows it to
the most common type of heart valve beat independently of its nerve supply. It
disorder that occurs when the mitral includes the Sinoatrial (SA) node, the
valve does not close completely Atrioventricular (AV) node, and the AV
which causes the blood to flow Bundle.
backwards into the atrium each time
the ventricle contracts. Electrical impulse through the heart
1. Each heartbeat is initiated by the SA node
or Pacemaker (small mass of specialized
muscle in the posterior wall of the right
atrium). The SA node generates electrical Systole refers to the period of contraction in
impulses 70-80 times each minute. which blood is forced out of the heart
2. The muscle impulse spreads through the Diastole is the period of relaxation in which
atria, producing atrial contraction. One group the heart is filled with blood
of atrial muscle fibers conducts the electrical
1. Each cardiac cycle begins when an impulse
impulse directly to the AV node, located in
is generated in the sinoatrial node, resulting
the right atrium along the lower part of the
in atrial systole (contraction).
septum. The transmission of the impulse is
delayed briefly which allows the atria to 2. As the atria contract, additional blood is
complete its contraction before the ventricles forced into the ventricles.
begin to contract
3. Ventricular systole occurs next, forcing
3. The impulse then spreads into specialized blood through the semilunar valves into the
muscle fibers that form the AV bundle systematic and pulmonary circulation. At the
(bundle of His). These large bundles conduct same time, the atria have returned to diastole
impulses six times faster than ordinary and are again filling with blood
cardiac muscle fibers
Electrocardiogram (ECG) a written record
4. The AV bundle divides into right and left that is produced when placing electrodes on
bundle branches, which extend into the right the body surface on opposite sides of the
and left ventricle. heart to amplify the electrical activity and
record it with an oscilloscope or
5. Fibers of the bundle divide into smaller
electrocardiograph.
branches called Purkinje Fibers. These fibers
on fibers of ordinary cardiac muscle within The sound “lub-dup” is produced each time
the myocardium, and the impulse spreads the valves closes.
through the ventricles
- The first sound “lub,” marks the
SA node > Cardiac muscle of atria (atria beginning of ventricular systole
contract) and to AV node > AV bundle > caused by the closure of AV valves as
right and left bundle branches > Purkinje the ventricles begin to contract
Fibers > ordinary muscle fibers of ventricle > - The second, marks the beginning of
ventricles contract the ventricular diastole caused by the
closure of semilunar valves.
Cardiac muscle fibers are joined at their ends
by Intercalated disks which are dense bands Diastole is longer than systole, causing a
between the muscle cells that allows each slight pause after the second sound.
impulse to pass rapidly from cell to cell.
- Heart murmurs are abnormal heart
CARDIAC CYCLE sounds that indicate the possibility of
valve disorders. When a valve does
Refers to the events that occur during one
not close properly, some blood may
complete heartbeat. Each complete cycle
flow backward resulting in a hissing
lasts for about 0.8 second and occurs about 72
sound. Murmurs can also be detected
times per minute.
 when a valve becomes narrowed - Sympathetic nerves release
(stenosis) and rough norepinephrine which speeds the
heart rate.
In response to stress, the adrenal glands
CARDIAC OUTPUT
release epinephrine and norepinephrine,
Refers to the volume of blood pumped by the hormones that increase heart rate and stroke
left ventricle into the aorta in 1 minute. volume.

Stroke volume is the volume of blood

pumped by one ventricle during one beat.
Computation:
Cardiac output = Stroke volume x heart rate
Cardiac output varies with changes in stroke
volume or heart rate. Stroke volume depends
mainly on venous return – the amount of
blood delivered to the heart by the veins.
According to Starling’s law of the heart, the
more blood delivered to the heart by the
veins, the more blood the heart pumps.
Extra amounts of blood fill the heart chamber
> cardiac muscle fibers are stretched to a
greater extent > cardiac muscle contracts with
grater force > heart pumps larger volume of
blood into the arteries.
Increase in stroke volume = increase in
cardiac output.

HEART REGULATION
The nervous and endocrine systems
regulate the heartbeat, adjusting its rate and
strength of contraction to the changing needs
of the body. Cardiac centers in the medulla
regulate the heart by way of autonomic
nerves.
- Parasympathetic nerves release
acetylcholine which slows down heart
rate