Parts of the heart (with drawing) and their functions

He heart It is the muscle that works the most in our body. It is estimated that, at age 70, it will have beat more than 2,500 million timesaccording to the American Heart Academy (AHA).

Is he central organ of the circulatory system and works as a kind of pump that ensures a continuous circulation of blood, oxygen and nutrients throughout the body, something is essential for our organs and tissues to function properly. We explain where the heart is, the parts of the heart and its functions.

Where is the heart?

The heart is located in the chest, between the lungs, behind and slightly to the left of the sternum. This protected by the rib cage.

the heart is inside a membrane called the pericardiumwhich surrounds, protects and holds it together (through ligaments) to the spine, the diaphragm (the muscle that separates the thoracic cavity from the abdominal cavity) and other parts of the body.

heart: anatomy

The size and weight of our heart varies depending on various factors such as age, sex, height or weight of the person

It is often said that the heart is the size of a fist. On average that of an adult it is about 12 centimeters longsome 8.5cm wide and 6cm thick.

In terms of weight, an adult heart ranges from 280 and 340 grams in men and between 230 and 280 g in women.

parts of the heart (drawing and functions)

the heart is consists of 3 layers:

He pericardiumas we have already mentioned, is the membrane that covers it on the outside. myocardium is the heart muscle, which allows the heart to contract and relax when pumping blood. endocardium it is a thin layer that covers the heart on the inside. iStock

The heart is divided into four chambers, two on the right side and two on the left. He right side of the heart is the one receive blood without oxygen from the body and pumps it to the lungs for oxygenation, while the left side receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the rest of the body.

These are the main parts of the heart:

The auricles it’s two o’clock upper chambers of the heart that receive blood from the body (right atrium) and from the lungs (left atrium). ventriclesboth lower chambers, responsible for pumping blood out of the heart. The right ventricle pumps oxygen-depleted blood to the lungs, while the left ventricle pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body. partition (or septum) is a muscular wall that divides the heart in its two halves (the left and the right) and prevents the mixing of oxygen-free blood with oxygenated one. valves are in charge of ensure that blood flow is in one direction only. They work like gates that open and close to allow blood to move in the right direction through the heart. There are four: the tricuspid valve, the pulmonary valve, the mitral valve (or bicuspid valve), and the aortic valve.

The heart also consists of various blood vesselslike the arteries (carrying oxygen-rich blood to body tissues), veins (carrying oxygen-poor blood back to the heart) and capillaries (small blood vessels where the body exchanges oxygen-rich and oxygen-poor blood).

The rhythmic contractions of the heart (known as beats) are regulated by electrical signals generated within the heart itself.

What are the functions of the heart?

The heart performs various essential functions in the human body. pumps oxygenated blood it receives from the lungs so that it circulates throughout the body and carries oxygen, nutrients and hormones to the tissues and organs.

in turn, too receives oxygen-poor blood from the body and transports it to the lungs, where it receives oxygen and removes carbon dioxide through the process of respiration.

In addition, through its rhythmic contractions, it helps to regulate and maintain blood pressure necessary in the arteries to ensure a correct circulation and a continuous flow of blood to all parts of the body.

It also contributes to regulate body temperature and the immune responsealthough these processes are governed by other systems and organs of the body.