Trace the pathway of bloodflow through the heart Essay

Trace the pathway of bloodflow through the heart - Essay Example gets the deoxygenated blood from the upper parts of the body such as the head and arms, and the other the Inferior vena cava that receives deoxygenated blood from the lower parts of the body such as the torso and the legs. The blood entering the right ventricle of heart through the tricuspid valve from these two major veins are filled with carbon – dioxide. From the right ventricle, the deoxygenated blood is carried through the pulmonic valve to the pulmonary artery into the lungs. Here the blood is cleansed by the removal of carbon – dioxide and the addition of oxygen and once again returns through the pulmonary veins and empties itself into the left atrium. The left atrium is the chamber that receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs through the pulmonary veins. Between the left atrium and the left ventricle is a valve called the bicuspid valve – also called the mitral valve, which regulates the blood flow into the left ventricle. Both the bicuspid valve and the tricuspid valve also called the atrio-ventricular (AV) valves simultaneously open and close producing a Lub – Dub sound, which is the heartbeat of a person. The Lub sound is the opening of the valves and the Dub sound is the closing of the valves. The fourth chamber is the largest and most important of all the four chambers, the left ventricle is the strongest pump which helps to discharge blood into the aorta through a valve called the aortic valve. Both the pulmonary and the aortic valve operate or work simultaneously with each other. The aorta then takes the oxygen – rich blood and passes it to all the different parts of the body. In the same way, the bicuspid and tricuspid valves also open up simultaneously allowing blood to flow into the ventricles. When this happens, they contract and eject blood into the lungs and the body. In the meantime, the atria relax and once again fill with