The heart and blood vessels are really important for how our body works. Let’s break down their parts and how they help us.
Chambers: The heart has four parts, called chambers. There are two atria (the upper parts) and two ventricles (the lower parts). The right atrium gets blood without oxygen from the body. It receives about 3-4 liters of this blood every minute. The left atrium gets oxygen-rich blood coming from the lungs. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen, while the left ventricle, which is the strongest part of the heart, sends the oxygenated blood to the entire body.
Valves: The heart also has four valves named tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic. These valves keep the blood from flowing backward and help it go in the right direction. They open and close based on pressure changes in the heart. During the heart's squeezing phase (called systole), the pressure in the left ventricle can be around 120 mmHg.
Arteries: Arteries carry blood that is rich in oxygen away from the heart. The biggest artery is called the aorta, which can handle high pressure, reaching around 120 mmHg. There are two types of arteries: elastic arteries, like the aorta, and muscular arteries. Muscular arteries help control how much blood flows and the pressure of the blood.
Veins: Veins bring blood that lacks oxygen back to the heart. They work under lower pressure, about 5 mmHg, which is much less than arteries. To help move blood back to the heart, veins have valves that stop the blood from flowing the wrong way, making it easier for the blood to return, even against gravity.
Capillaries: These are tiny blood vessels where the magic happens! They allow the exchange of nutrients and gases between the blood and body tissues. If you added up all the capillaries in our body, they could stretch over 60,000 miles!
The coronary arteries are in charge of delivering blood specifically to the heart muscle. If these arteries get blocked, it can reduce the blood flow to the heart. This may cause problems like chest pain (angina) or even a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
In summary, the heart and blood vessels work together to keep our bodies healthy and functioning well.
The heart and blood vessels are really important for how our body works. Let’s break down their parts and how they help us.
Chambers: The heart has four parts, called chambers. There are two atria (the upper parts) and two ventricles (the lower parts). The right atrium gets blood without oxygen from the body. It receives about 3-4 liters of this blood every minute. The left atrium gets oxygen-rich blood coming from the lungs. The right ventricle pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen, while the left ventricle, which is the strongest part of the heart, sends the oxygenated blood to the entire body.
Valves: The heart also has four valves named tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral, and aortic. These valves keep the blood from flowing backward and help it go in the right direction. They open and close based on pressure changes in the heart. During the heart's squeezing phase (called systole), the pressure in the left ventricle can be around 120 mmHg.
Arteries: Arteries carry blood that is rich in oxygen away from the heart. The biggest artery is called the aorta, which can handle high pressure, reaching around 120 mmHg. There are two types of arteries: elastic arteries, like the aorta, and muscular arteries. Muscular arteries help control how much blood flows and the pressure of the blood.
Veins: Veins bring blood that lacks oxygen back to the heart. They work under lower pressure, about 5 mmHg, which is much less than arteries. To help move blood back to the heart, veins have valves that stop the blood from flowing the wrong way, making it easier for the blood to return, even against gravity.
Capillaries: These are tiny blood vessels where the magic happens! They allow the exchange of nutrients and gases between the blood and body tissues. If you added up all the capillaries in our body, they could stretch over 60,000 miles!
The coronary arteries are in charge of delivering blood specifically to the heart muscle. If these arteries get blocked, it can reduce the blood flow to the heart. This may cause problems like chest pain (angina) or even a heart attack (myocardial infarction).
In summary, the heart and blood vessels work together to keep our bodies healthy and functioning well.