The Heart
The heart consists of four chambers, two chambers at the top called atria (right atrium and left atrium) and two at the bottom called ventricles (right ventricle and left ventricle). The left ventricle is the main pumping chamber of the heart and is responsible for sending blood out the aorta and throughout the body. The aorta is the main artery emerging from the top of the heart. Arteries carry blood away from the heart. Your heart also has one-way valves that open and close to insure blood travels through the heart in one direction as efficiently as possible. The aortic valve lies between the Aorta and Left ventricle. The mitral valve (bicuspid valve) lies between the left atrium and left ventricle. The pulmonary valve lies between the pulmonary artery and the right ventricle. The tricuspid valve lies between the right atrium and right ventricle.
Heart Anatomy
Blood Flow Through the Heart
