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ANATOMY AND PHYSIOLOGY

HEART

The heart is made up of 4 chambers, 2 atria and 2 ventricles. Deoxygenated blood

returns to the right side of the heart via the venous circulation. It is pumped into the right
ventricle and then to the lungs where carbon dioxide is released and oxygen is absorbed.
The oxygenated blood then travels back to the left side of the heart into the left atria, then
into the left ventricle from where it is pumped into the aorta and arterial circulation.

The pressure created in the arteries by the contraction of the left ventricle is the
systolic blood pressure. Once the left ventricle has fully contracted it begins to relax and refill
with blood from the left atria. The pressure in the arteries falls whilst the ventricle refills. This
is the diastolic blood pressure.

The atrio-ventricular septum completely separates the 2 sides of the heart. Unless
there is a septal defect, the 2 sides of the heart never directly communicate. Blood travels
from right side to left side via the lungs only. However the chambers themselves work
together. The 2 atria contract simultaneously, and the 2 ventricles contract simultaneously.
 LUNGS

A major organ of the respiratory system, each lung houses structures of both the
conducting and respiratory zones. The main function of the lungs is to perform the exchange
of oxygen and carbon dioxide with air from the atmosphere.

The lungs consist of right and left sides. The right lung has three lobes: Upper lobe, Middle
lobe, Lower lobe The left lung has two lobes: Upper lobe, Lower lobe The heart sits in the
mid chest extending into the left side. Starting from the trachea (windpipe), two large tubes
known as bronchi (airways) separate and distribute air to the left and right sides of the lungs.
Bronchi gradually form more generations, like a tree branch, and become smaller and
smaller. As they spread to the ends of the lungs they eventually form a grape-like structure
known as the alveoli.

The diaphragm is the large dome shaped muscle that contracts and relaxes during
breathing. It also separates the chest and abdominal cavity. Muscles near our ribs also help
expand our chest for breathing. Air reaches the alveoli (air sacs) where oxygen then moves
from the air sacs into the capillaries through their thin walls. Capillaries are tiny blood
vessels that carry oxygenated blood to the bloodstream that supplies our body.
Tiny hairs, called cilia, line the bronchi. Cilia moves back and forth in an ongoing motion–
like a wave. Mucus is carried on top of cilia. This is the first line of defense for infection by
moving foreign objects, like bacteria or viruses, out of the lungs. The pleura is a thin balloon-
like structure, like saran wrap, that surrounds the lungs and allows them to move smoothly
as we breathe in and out. There are two types of pleura in our chest: Visceral pleura– covers
the lung Parietal pleura– covers the chest wall. They produce pleural fluid and create
cavities that separate the major organs.