The Heart

The heart has 4 chambers. The upper chambers are called the left and right atria, and the lower chambers are called the left and right ventricles. A wall of muscle called the septum separates the left and right atria and the left and right ventricles. The left ventricle is the largest and strongest chamber in the heart, having enough force to push blood through the aortic valve and into the body.

As for valves, there are four main ones that regulate blood flow in the heart:

• The tricuspid valve regulates blood flow between the right atrium and right ventricle.

• The pulmonary valve controls blood flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary arteries, which carry blood to the lungs in order to pick up oxygen.

• The mitral valve lets oxygen-rich blood from the lungs pass from the left atrium into the left ventricle.

• The aortic valve opens the way for oxygen-rich blood to pass from the left ventricle into the aorta, the body's largest artery.

Texas Heart Institute. (2016). Heart Anatomy. [Web Portal]. Retrieved from http://www.texasheart.org/HIC/Anatomy/anatomy2.cfm