The 13 Parts Of The Human Heart (and Their Functions)
One of the organs that develop the earliest and, along with the brain, one of the most important for our survival is the heart.
This organ, the main nucleus of the cardiovascular system, allows blood to travel and irrigate the different organs of our body. But the heart is not a uniform mass, but is made up of different elements. In this article we are going to talk about the different parts of the heart.
The heart as the nucleus of the cardiovascular system
The heart is the main organ of the cardiovascular system It is an organ made up of hollow muscle tissue whose contractions and dilations cause blood to be pumped to the rest of the body. Its contraction or systole is the movement through which blood is allowed to leave and be propelled towards the arteries, while diastole or dilation allows blood from the veins to enter.
The pumping of blood causes nutrients and oxygen obtained from other bodily functions such as breathing and digestion to reach the different organs of our body, as well as to release waste from their functioning (as occurs with carbon dioxide). , which travels to the heart to later go to the lungs and be excreted with respiration).
Although its operation may seem simple, the truth is that Its beating involves the coordination of the movement of the heart muscle and the correct functioning of its different parts Its importance is such that the cessation of its functions causes our death (unless artificial mechanisms are used that perform the same function).
Although the heart is connected to and influenced by the nervous system, it actually acts largely autonomously.
Parts of the heart and their functions
The human heart is made up of different parts whose coordinated action allows the pumping of blood. It is widely known that we can find four chambers inside the heart: two atria and two ventricles.
But we must also take into account that there are other elements such as the valves that communicate between them and allow the blood to pass through as well as not to return back or the partitions that separate them. In general we can find the following parts of the heart
1. Left atrium
One of the four main chambers of the heart in which blood is received and pumped The left atrium is characterized by being connected to the pulmonary veins, from which it receives highly oxygenated blood and subsequently sends it to the left ventricle.
2. Mitral valve
One of the parts of the heart, separates and communicates the left atrium from the left ventricle Its opening (generated by the systole of the atrium) allows blood to travel between both regions.
3. Left ventricle
Another of the main parts of the heart. The left ventricle receives oxygen-rich blood from the left atrium and sends it to the rest of the body through the aorta artery.
This valve separates the aorta from the left ventricle and When it opens, it allows blood with oxygen to reach the rest of the body through the artery It opens upon contraction or systole and closes upon dilation/relaxation or diastole.
5. Right atrium
The right atrium receives blood from the vena cava, already deoxygenated blood, to send it to the right ventricle
6. Tricuspid valve
Located between the atrium and right ventricle, The tricuspid valve separates both cavities and allows blood to pass between them through its opening It also prevents blood from flowing back once it is closed (which occurs when the ventricle contracts).
7. Right ventricle
This part of the heart receives blood from the right atrium and then sends it to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries. Over there the blood is reoxygenated and later returns to the heart through the pulmonary veins
8. Pulmonary sigmoid valve
This is a valve that separates the right ventricle from the pulmonary arteries. The contraction of the ventricle causes it to open, allowing blood to pass into the respiratory system
9. Interatrial septum
This is the muscular wall that separates both atria
10. Interventricular septum
muscle wall that separates the left ventricle from the right
11. The sinus or sinoatrial node
This element located in the upper part of the right atrium may not be particularly known, but it is one of the most important parts of the heart since they allow it to function.
And it is that This node is the structure that allows the heart to beat by generating electrical impulses that cause its contraction (Similar to what happens with neurons, the heart beats because this element generates action potentials based on the chemical balance between sodium and potassium). Its operation is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, although it can function on its own.
This node is another of the parts of the heart whose functioning allows the heartbeat It conducts and helps coordinate the electrical impulse initiated in the sinus node. It allows the ventricles not to contract before the blood located in the atria passes to them.
13. His bundles and Purkinje fibers
These are the elements through which The electrical impulse initiated in the previous modules travels throughout the entire heart allowing, for example, the discharge to reach the ventricles.
arteries and veins
Although they are not actually part of the heart, the following veins and arteries are those that maintain direct contact with it.
1. Pulmonary veins
These are the veins that carry blood from the lungs to the heart, their content being rich in oxygen (it is the only type of vein whose content is abundant in oxygen).
2. Aorta artery
This artery carries oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.
3. Vena cavae
The vena cava are the blood vessels that return the deoxygenated blood that has been traveling throughout the body to the heart.
4. Pulmonary arteries
These are the blood vessels that will carry oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs for oxygenation. It is the only type of artery that carries blood without nutrients or oxygen.
