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The Heart

BIOLOGY - 01/06/2024

The Heart

Diagram, Function & Pacemakers

Function :

The heart has a left side and a right side, divided by the septum. Each side of the heart is split into an atrium and a ventricle.

The heart has valves that prevent blood flowing backwards, just like veins.

  1. Deoxygenated blood from the body enters the right atrium through the vena cava (type of vein).

  2. The atrium* contract pushing the deoxygenated blood to the right ventricle.

  3. The ventricles contract pushing the deoxygenated blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs to be oxygenated.

  4. Oxygenated blood from the lungs enters the left atrium through the pulmonary vein.

  5. The atrium contract pushes the oxygenated blood to the left ventricle.

  6. The ventricles contract pushing the oxygenated blood through the aorta to the rest of the body, to supply respiring cells with oxygen.

Atrium = the two upper chambers in the heart that receives blood from the circulatory system

Pacemakers :

Natural resting heart rate is controlled by specialised cells in the wall of the right atrium. They perform the role of a pacemaker which means they regulate the contraction of the heart by sending electrical impulses to the cardiac muscle cells.

Some people have faulty pacemakers and so have an irregular heartbeat. Artificial pacemakers can be implanted under the skin with wires that connect to the heart to produce currents that cause the heart muscles to contract and help the heart beat regularly.

RR

The Heart

BIOLOGY - 01/06/2024

The Heart

Diagram, Function & Pacemakers

Function :

The heart has a left side and a right side, divided by the septum. Each side of the heart is split into an atrium and a ventricle.

The heart has valves that prevent blood flowing backwards, just like veins.

  1. Deoxygenated blood from the body enters the right atrium through the vena cava (type of vein).

  2. The atrium* contract pushing the deoxygenated blood to the right ventricle.

  3. The ventricles contract pushing the deoxygenated blood through the pulmonary artery to the lungs to be oxygenated.

  4. Oxygenated blood from the lungs enters the left atrium through the pulmonary vein.

  5. The atrium contract pushes the oxygenated blood to the left ventricle.

  6. The ventricles contract pushing the oxygenated blood through the aorta to the rest of the body, to supply respiring cells with oxygen.

Atrium = the two upper chambers in the heart that receives blood from the circulatory system

Pacemakers :

Natural resting heart rate is controlled by specialised cells in the wall of the right atrium. They perform the role of a pacemaker which means they regulate the contraction of the heart by sending electrical impulses to the cardiac muscle cells.

Some people have faulty pacemakers and so have an irregular heartbeat. Artificial pacemakers can be implanted under the skin with wires that connect to the heart to produce currents that cause the heart muscles to contract and help the heart beat regularly.