The heart is a vital part
of your body that is responsible for receiving and pumping blood throughout the
body. This organ has a size that is slightly larger than your fist, which is
around 200-425 grams.
The location of the heart
is between the lungs, in the middle of the chest, precisely on the left back of
the breastbone.
For more details, here is
the anatomy of the heart as well as an explanation of its parts and functions.
Parts of the heart and their functions
Intrigued how can an
organ which is no more than a fist be able to trash blood throughout the body?
Following is a brief description of heart anatomy and its function.Pericardium
The pericardial cavity is
a fluid-filled cavity that also has a heart in it. This wall and layer of the
pericardial cavity is called the pericardium.
Pericardium is a type of
serous membrane that produces serous fluid to lubricate the heart during
pulsing and prevents painful friction between the heart and surrounding organs.
This part also serves to
support and hold the heart in place.
The heart wall consists
of three layers, namely the epicardium (outer layer), myocardium (middle
layer), and endocardium (inner layer).
Porch
Porch or also called the
atrium is the upper part of the heart which consists of the right and left
porch. The right porch serves to receive dirty blood from the body carried by
blood vessels.
While the function of the
left porch is to receive clean blood sent from the lungs. Serambi has thinner
and not muscular walls because its job is only as a recipient of blood.
Booth
Just like the porch,
cubicle or also called the ventricle is the lower heart part which consists of
the right and left parts.
The right chamber serves
to pump dirty blood from the heart to the lungs. Meanwhile, the left ventricle
serves to pump clean blood from the heart throughout the body.
The wall of the cubicle
is much thicker and more muscular than the porch because it works harder to
pump blood from the heart to the lungs and throughout the body.
Valve
The heart has four valves
that keep blood flowing in one direction, namely:
•
The tricuspid valve, regulates blood flow between the
right foyer and the right chamber.
•
The pulmonary valve, regulates the flow of blood from
the right chamber to the pulmonary artery which carries blood to the lungs to
extract oxygen.
•
The mitral valve, flowing oxygen-rich blood from the
lungs flows from the left porch to the left ventricle.
•
The aortic valve, opens the way for oxygen-rich blood
to be passed from the left ventricle to the aorta (the largest artery in the
body).
Blood vessel
There are three main
blood vessels in the heart, namely:
•
Arteries, carrying oxygen-rich blood from the heart to
other body parts. Arteries have walls that are elastic enough to keep blood
pressure consistent.
•
Veins, this one blood vessel carries oxygen-poor blood
from the entire body to return to the heart. Compared to arteries, veins have
thinner vessel walls.
•
Capillary, this blood vessel is responsible for
connecting the smallest artery with the smallest vein. The walls are so thin
that it allows blood vessels to exchange compounds with surrounding tissues,
such as carbon dioxide, water, oxygen, waste, and nutrients.
Heart cycle
Heart cycle is a sequence
of events that occur when the heart beats. The following are two phases of the
heart cycle, namely:
•
Systole, heart muscle tissue contracts to pump blood out
of the ventricles.
•
Diastol, the heart muscle relaxes when filling blood
in the heart
•
Blood pressure increases in the main artery during
ventricular systole and decreases during ventricular diastole.
This causes 2 numbers
associated with systolic blood pressure is a higher number and diastolic blood
pressure is a lower number.
For example, a blood
pressure of 120/80 mmHg describes systolic pressure (120) and diastolic
pressure (80).
Various diseases that can cause heart problems
Heart disease is a term
that includes any heart problems. The following are various disorders of the
heart, including:
- Arrhythmia, irregular heartbeat.
- Coronary arteries, resulting from a buildup of plaque that clogs blood flow in the coronary arteries.
- Heart failure results from ineffective heart pumping blood to all parts of the body.
- Dilated cardiomyopathy, which occurs when the heart chambers widen due to weakening of the heart muscle so that it cannot pump blood properly.
- Hypertrophic cardiomyopathy, a genetic disorder that occurs when the left ventricle thickens making it difficult for blood to be pumped out of the heart.
- Pulmonary stenosis, occurs when the pulmonary valve is difficult to open, making it difficult for the heart to pump blood from the right chamber to the pulmonary artery.
