Blood Flow Through the Heart

(Abbreviations refer to labels in the illustration)

The heart pumps blood to all parts of the body. Blood provides oxygen and nutrients to the body and
removes carbon dioxide and wastes. As blood travels through the body, oxygen is used up, and the
blood becomes oxygen poor.

1. Oxygen-poor blood returns from the body to the heart through the superior vena cava (SVC) and
inferior vena cava (IVC), the two main veins that bring blood back to the heart.
2. The oxygen-poor blood enters the right atrium (RA), or the right upper chamber of the heart.
3. From there, the blood flows through the tricuspid valve (TV) into the right ventricle (RV), or the right
lower chamber of the heart.
4. The right ventricle (RV) pumps oxygen-poor blood through the pulmonary valve (PV) into the main
pulmonary artery (MPA).
5. From there, the blood flows through the right and left pulmonary arteries into the lungs.
6. In the lungs, oxygen is put into the blood and carbon dioxide is taken out of the blood during the
process of breathing. After the blood gets oxygen in the lungs, it is called oxygen-rich blood.
7. Oxygen-rich blood flows from the lungs back into the left atrium (LA), or the left upper chamber of
the heart, through four pulmonary veins.
8. Oxygen-rich blood then flows through the mitral valve (MV) into the left ventricle (LV), or the left
lower chamber.
9. The left ventricle (LV) pumps the oxygen-rich blood through the aortic valve (AoV) into the aorta
(Ao), the main artery that takes oxygen-rich blood out to the rest of the body.
10. The pulmonary circulatory system is the portion of the cardiovascular system in which oxygen-
depleted blood is pumped away from the heart to the lungs via the pulmonary artery. Oxygenated
blood is then returned to the heart via the pulmonary vein.
11. From the right ventricle of the heart, blood is pumped through the pulmonary semilunar valve into
the left and right pulmonary arteries (one for each lung) and travels through the lungs. The
pulmonary arteries carry deoxygenated blood to the lungs, where they release carbon dioxide
and pick up oxygen during respiration.
12. The pulmonary arteries divide into thin-walled capillaries closely associated with the alveoli, small
air sacs in the lungs where gas exchange occurs. Air is inhaled through the nose or the mouth
and fills the lungs. Oxygen passively flows from the air inside the alveoli into the blood in the
alveolar capillaries, while carbon dioxide passively flows in the opposite direction. The air, along
with the diffused carbon dioxide, is then exhaled.
13.

14.
15. An Alveolus
 16. The alveoli are the site of oxygen and carbon dioxide exchange in the lungs.
17. This diagram of an alveolus indicates the capillary beds, connective tissue, alveolar sacs, alveolar
duct, mucous gland, mucosal lining, pulmonary vein, pulmonary artery, and atrium.
18.
19. The oxygenated blood then leaves the lungs through pulmonary veins, which return it to the left
atrium of the heart, completing the pulmonary cycle. This blood is pumped through the bicuspid
valve into the left ventricle, then distributed to the body through the systemic circulation before
returning to the right atrium.

Blood and Oxygen - Did U Know?

The only part of your body that has no blood supply is the cornea in the eye. It takes in oxygen directly from the
air.
A severe sunburn damages the blood vessels so badly that it takes four to 15 months for them to return to their
normal condition.
The human heart creates enough pressure to squirt blood 30 feet (nine meters) out of the body.
In the average person's life, their heart will beat 2.5 billion times.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in North America. More than 2,000 Americans die from heart
disease everyday.
Your heart is about the size of your fist.
In the average person's life, their heart will beat 2.5 billion times.
Heart disease is the leading cause of death in North America. More than 2,000 Americans die from heart
disease everyday.
Your heart is about the size of your fist.

How does the circulatory system work?

1. The left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood from the lungs, through the aorta to the
body tissues (excluding the lungs).
2. Deoxygenated blood returns from the body tissues to the right side of the heart, via the vena
cava.
3. It is then pumped to the lungs, via the pulmonary artery where it is oxygenated.
4. Blood returns to the left side of the heart, via the pulmonary vein and is pumped to the body
tissues again.

5. The heart needs a continuous supply of oxygen and glucose for respiration. The coronary
artery is a branch of the aorta which transports blood to the heart muscle itself.
6. A blockage in one of the branches of the coronary artery can severely interrupt blood flow and
is called a heart attack.