Biology 120

1. Biology 120
1/23/2012
Presented by Bonnie Lim

2. What is a Heart?
A muscular organ that provides a continuous blood
circulation through the cardiac cycle and is one of the
most vital organs in the human body

3. Blood Flow of the Heart
 Blood flows through the heart in one direction, from
the atria to the ventricles, and out of the great arteries,
or the aorta for example. Blood is prevented from
flowing backwards by the tricuspid, bicuspid, aortic,
and pulmonary valve.
 The heart acts as a double pump. The function of the
right side of the heart is called right heart is to collect
de-oxygenated blood, in the right atrium, from the
body via superior and inferior vena cava and pump it,
via the right ventricle, into the lungs so that carbon
dioxide can be dropped off and oxygen picked up . This
happens through the passive process of diffusion.

4.  The left side is called left heart collects oxygenated blood
from the lungs into the left atrium. From the left atrium
the blood moves to the left ventricle which pumps it out to
the body via the aorta.
 On both sides, the lower ventricles are thicker and stronger
than the upper atria. The muscle wall surrounding the left
ventricle is thicker than the wall surrounding the right
ventricle due to the higher force needed to pump the blood
through the systemic circulation.

5.  Starting in the right atrium, the blood flows through
the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle. Here, it is
pumped out of the pulmonary semi-lunar valve and
travels through the pulmonary artery to the lungs.
From there, blood flows back through the
pulmonary vein to the left atrium. It then travels
through the mitral valve to the left ventricle, from
where it is pumped through the aortic semi-lunar valve
to the aorta and to the rest of the body. The
deoxygenated blood finally returns to the heart
through the inferior vena cava and superior vena cava,
and enters the right atrium where the process began.

6. Diagram of the blood flow in the
body

7. Location of Heart
 The heart is in the
middle of the chest. It
fits between the two
lungs. The heart is on
the left side.

8. Parts of the Heart

9. Structure
 The human heart has a mass of between 250 and
350 grams and is about the size of a fist
 It is enclosed in a double-walled protective sac called
the pericardium
 The outer wall of the human heart is composed of
three layers. The outer layer is called the visceral
pericardium since it is also the inner wall of the serous
pericardium. The inner layer is called the
endocardium and is in contact with the blood that the
heart pumps. Also, it merges with the inner lining
endothelium of blood vessels and covers heart valves

10. Chambers of the Heart
 The heart is divided into four main chambers: the two
upper chambers are called the left and right atria and
two lower chambers are called the right and
left ventricles

11. Facts about the Heart
 The average adult heart beats 72 times a minute;
100,000 times a day; 3,600,000 times a year; and 2.5
billion times during a lifetime.
 The “thump-thump” of a heartbeat is the sound made
by the four valves of the heart closing
 Because the heart has its own electrical impulse, it can
continue to beat even when separated from the body,
as long as it has an adequate supply of oxygen

12. Disease of the Heart
Coronary Heart Disease
Coronary Heart Disease, also known as CHD, is the
most common of all the heart-related problems. It’s
caused by your arteries getting smaller which leads to
your heart not getting enough blood supply.
High blood pressure
High blood pressure, also known as hypertension, is a
common thing that effects about 50 millions
Americans and countless others worldwide. Once
again, it’s generally caused by fatty foods. The best
thing to do is try to avoid stressful situations as often
as possible.

13.  Heart Attack
A heart attack is victim are usually elderly or people
the intake of greasy , fatty foods and don’t exercise.
Also, people that are understand stress may get heart
attack.
 Ischemic heart disease
Ischemic heart disease is the opposite of hypertension,
in that it is the reduced flow of blood to the heart. The
main symptom involved with ischemic heart disease is
the concurrent feeling of chest pain, especially pain in
the left side of the chest (around the heart)

14.  Tachycardia
Tachycardia is a very serious matter in which the heart is
racing at an extremely high pace. You may be able to
diagnose tachycardia yourself if you have shortness of
breath, find yourself dizzy for no reason, or you just get
that feeling where you can sense your own heartbeat
without even checking your pulse and you know it’s extra
high.
 Rheumatic heart disease
Rheumatic heart disease is a problem associated with heart
damage from rheumatic flu. It can be diagnosed by a fever
and/or rash along with chest pains or heartburn. This is
usually due to a problem with the valves in your heart not
being able to close properly which leads to blood spilling
out into the wrong parts of the heart.

15.  Pulmonary heart disease
Pulmonary heart disease is caused by an abnormal
pressure on the lungs due to an improper flow of
blood to that region. A diagnosis can be reached if you
notice you frequently have shortness of breath, chest
pain or faint on occasion.

16. Treatment Options
 Better diet for Heart Health
 Exercise
 Change Lifestyle
 Heart Disease Medications
 Medical procedures or surgery
 Heart defect patients can have a heart transplant
if there is no other option.