Subject : heart anatomy

Arezo Bahrami Akbari UG number : 1701818

Dr.Ia Khakhutaishvili

Heart Anatomy
Your heart is located between your lungs in the middle of your chest, behind and slightly to the left
of your breastbone (sternum). A double-layered membrane called the pericardium surrounds your
heart like a sac. The outer layer of the pericardium surrounds the roots of your heart's major blood
vessels and is attached by ligaments to your spinal column, diaphragm, and other parts of your body.
Your heart has 4 chambers. The upper chambers are called the left and right atria, and the lower
chambers are called the left and right ventricles. A wall of muscle called the septum separates the
left and right atria and the left and right ventricles. The left ventricle is the largest and strongest
chamber in your heart. The left ventricle’s chamber walls are only about a half-inch thick, but they
have enough force to push blood through the aortic valve and into your body.

The Circulatory System

The heart and circulatory system make up your cardiovascular system. Your heart works as a pump
that pushes blood to the organs, tissues, and cells of your body. Blood delivers oxygen and nutrients
to every cell and removes the carbon dioxide and waste products made by those cells. Blood is
carried from your heart to the rest of your body through a complex network of arteries, arterioles,
and capillaries. Blood is returned to your heart through venules and veins. If all the vessels of this
network in your body were laid end-to-end, they would extend for about 60,000 miles (more than
96,500 kilometers), which is far enough to circle the earth more than twice!

right and left sides of the heart

The right and left sides of the heart have different functions. The right side of the heart collects
oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs. The left side of the heart collects
oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body.
The left and right sides of the heart are divided by walls called septums. There is an atrial septum
that separates the right and left atriums, and a ventricular septum that separates the right and left
ventricles.

chambers of the heart

The heart has two sides: the left side and the right side. Each side of the heart is divided into two
parts producing 4 chambers. The upper chambers are called the atriums and the lower chambers are
the ventricle. The heart not only has four chambers but also has four valves. The atria work are thin-
walled chambers and act as primer pumps for the ventricles, which pump blood to the lungs and
body. The two ventricles are thick-walled chambers that forcefully pump blood out of the heart to
either the lungs or the body. . Differences in thickness of the heart chamber walls are due to
variations in the amount of myocardium present, which reflects the amount of force each chamber
is required to generate. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from systemic veins;
the left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the pulmonary veins. The atria collect blood and
pump it into the ventricles. The heart can still function without atria however the ventricular output
will be less effective.

heart valves
Heart valves keep the blood fluid flowing in one direction in the same way most pumps work. The
heart has two types of valves that keep the blood flowing in the correct direction. The valves
between the atria and ventricles are called atrioventricular valves (also called cuspid valves), while
those at the bases of the large vessels leaving the ventricles are called semilunar valves.
The right atrioventricular valve is the tricuspid valve. The left atrioventricular valve is the bicuspid, or
mitral, valve. The valve between the right ventricle and pulmonary trunk is the pulmonary semilunar
valve. The valve between the left ventricle and the aorta is the aortic semilunar valve.
When the ventricles contract, atrioventricular valves close to prevent blood from flowing back into
the atria. When the ventricles relax, semilunar valves close to prevent blood from flowing back into
the ventricles.
The Layers of the Heart Wall
The heart wall is composed of connective tissue, endothelium, and cardiac muscle. It is the cardiac
muscle that enables the heart to contract and allows for the synchronization of the heartbeat. The
heart wall is divided into three layers: epicardium, myocardium, and endocardium.

Epicardium: the outer protective layer of the heart.

Myocardium: muscular middle layer wall of the heart.

Endocardium: the inner layer of the heart.

Epicardium
Epicardium (epi-cardium) is the outer layer of the heart wall. It is also known as visceral pericardium
as it forms the inner layer of the pericardium. The epicardium is composed primarily of loose
connective tissue, including elastic fibers and adipose tissue. The epicardium functions to protect the
inner heart layers and also assists in the production of pericardial fluid. This fluid fills the pericardial
cavity and helps to reduce friction between pericardial membranes. Also found in this heart layer are
the coronary blood vessels, which supply the heart wall with blood. The inner layer of the
epicardium is in direct contact with the myocardium.

Myocardium
Myocardium (myo-cardium) is the middle layer of the heart wall. It is composed of cardiac muscle
fibers, which enable heart contractions. The myocardium is the thickest layer of the heart wall, with
its thickness varying in different parts of the heart. The myocardium of the left ventricle is the
thickest, as this ventricle is responsible for generating the power needed to pump oxygenated blood
from the heart to the rest of the body. Cardiac muscle contractions are under the control of the
peripheral nervous system, which directs involuntary functions including heart rate.
Cardiac conduction is made possible by specialized myocardial muscle fibers. These fiber bundles,
consisting of the atrioventricular bundle and Purkinje fibers, carry electrical impulses down the
center of the heart to the ventricles. These impulses trigger the muscle fibers in the ventricles to
contract.

Endocardium
Endocardium (endo-cardium) is the thin inner layer of the heart wall. This layer lines the inner heart
chambers, covers heart valves, and is continuous with the endothelium of large blood vessels. The
endocardium of heart atria consists of smooth muscle, as well as elastic fibers. An infection of the
endocardium can lead to a condition known as endocarditis. Endocarditis is typically the result of an
infection of the heart valves or endocardium by certain bacteria, fungi, or other microbes.
Endocarditis is a serious condition that can be fatal.
Blood vessels of the heart
There are three main types of blood vessels
Arteries: The arteries carry oxygen and nutrients away from your heart, to your body's tissues.

The veins take oxygen-poor blood back to the heart.

Arteries begin with the aorta, the large artery leaving the heart.

They carry oxygen-rich blood away from the heart to all of the body's tissues.

They branch several times, becoming smaller and smaller as they carry blood further from the heart.

Capillaries: Capillaries are small, thin blood vessels that connect the arteries and the veins.

Their thin walls allow oxygen, nutrients, carbon dioxide and waste products to pass to and from the
tissue cells.

Veins: These are blood vessels that take oxygen-poor blood back to the heart.

Veins become larger and larger as they get closer to the heart.

The superior vena cava is the large vein that brings blood from the head and arms to the heart, and
the inferior vena cava brings blood from the abdomen and legs into the heart.

This vast system of blood vessels - arteries, veins, and capillaries - is over 60,000 miles long. That's
long enough to go around the world more than twice! Blood flows
continuously through your body's blood vessels. Your heart is the pump that makes it all possible.

Thank you

Refernces
https://www.texasheart.org/heart-health/heart-information-center/topics/heart-anatomy/

https://www.sharecare.com/health/circulatory-system-health/left-right-different-functions-of-heart

https://www.edinformatics.com/math_science/what-are-the-parts-of-the-heart.html

https://www.thoughtco.com/the-heart-wall-4022792

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/articles/17059-how-does-blood-flow-through-your-body