Heart chamber is a general term used to refer to any of the four chambers of the
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
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heartThe heart is a muscular organ found in all vertebrates that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
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organIn biology and anatomy, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function ....
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Heart chamber is a general term used to refer to any of the four chambers of the
mammalMammals are a class of vertebrate animals whose females are characterized by the possession of mammary glands while both males and females are characterized by sweat glands, hair, three middle ear bones used in hearing, and a neocortex region in the brain.Mammals are divided into three main...
ian
heartThe heart is a muscular organ found in all vertebrates that is responsible for pumping blood throughout the blood vessels by repeated, rhythmic contractions...
(an
organIn biology and anatomy, an organ is a collection of tissues joined in structural unit to serve a common function ....
):
- Right atrium
In anatomy, the atrium , sometimes called auricle, refers to a chamber or space. It may be the atrium of the lateral ventricle in the brain or the blood collection chamber of a heart. It has a thin-walled structure that allows blood to return to the heart. There is at least one atrium in animals...
: receives oxygenOxygen Oxygen Oxygen (acid, literally "sharp", from the taste of acids) and -γενής (-genēs) (producer, literally begetter) is the element with atomic number 8 and represented by the symbol O...
-depleted bloodBlood is a specialized bodily fluid that delivers necessary substances to the body's cells — such as nutrients and oxygen — and transports waste products away from those same cells....
from the body via the superior vena cavaThe superior vena cava is a large diameter, yet short vein that carries deoxygenated blood from the upper half of the body to the heart's right atrium....
and the inferior vena cavaThe inferior vena cava is the large vein that carries de-oxygenated blood from the lower half of the body into the right atrium of the heart....
and pumps it through the tricuspid valveThe tricuspid valve is on the right side of the heart, between the right atrium and the right ventricle. The normal tricuspid valve usually has three leaflets and three papillary muscles. They are connected to the papillary muscles by the chordae tendineae, which lie in the right ventricle...
into the right ventricle.
- Right ventricle
In the heart, a ventricle is a heart chamber which collects blood from an atrium and pumps it out of the heart...
: receives oxygen-depleted blood from the right atrium and pumps it through the pulmonary valveThe pulmonary valve is the semilunar valve of the heart that lies between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery and has three cusps. Similar to the aortic valve, the pulmonary valve opens in ventricular systole, when the pressure in the right ventricle rises above the pressure in the...
into the lungThe lung or pulmonary system is the essential respiration organ in air-breathing animals, including most tetrapods, a few fish and a few snails. In mammals and the more complex life forms, the two lungs are located in the chest on either side of the heart...
s via the pulmonary arteryThe pulmonary arteries carry blood from heart to the lungs. They are the only arteries that carry deoxygenated blood....
.
- Left atrium: receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs via the pulmonary vein
A pulmonary vein is a large blood vessel of the human circulatory system that carries blood from the lungs to the left atrium of the heart. There are four pulmonary veins, two from each lung. They carry oxygenated blood, which is unusual since almost all other veins carry deoxygenated...
s and pumps it through the mitral valveThe mitral valve is a dual-flap valve in the heart that lies between the left atrium and the left ventricle...
into the left ventricle.
- Left ventricle: receives oxygen-rich blood from the left atrium and pumps it through the aortic valve
The aortic valve is one of the valves of the heart. It lies between the left ventricle and the aorta.-Function and physiology:During ventricular systole, pressure rises in the left ventricle. When the pressure in the left ventricle rises above the pressure in the aorta, the aortic valve opens,...
to the entire body via the aortaThe aorta is the largest artery in the body, originating from the left ventricle of the heart and bringing oxygenated blood to all parts of the body in the systemic circulation....
, including to the heart muscle itself through the coronary arteries.
The left ventricle is the thicker of the chambers as it is the chamber that pumps the blood around the body.
The valves prevent backflow of blood.