The 13 parts of the human heart (and their functions).

We explain the anatomy of this fundamental organ for life.

One of the earliest developing organs and, together with the brain, one of the most important for our survival is the heart.

This organ, the main core of the cardiovascular system, allows Blood to travel and irrigate the different organs of our body. But the heart is not a uniform mass, it is made up of different elements. In this article we are going to talk about the different parts of the heart.

The heart as the core of the cardiovascular system

The heart is the main organ of the cardiovascular system. It is an organ made up of hollow muscle tissue whose contractions and dilations cause blood to be pumped to the rest of the body. Its contraction or systole is the movement by which blood is allowed to flow out and be propelled into the arteries, while diastole or dilation allows blood from the veins to enter it.

The pumping of blood causes nutrients and oxygen obtained from other bodily functions such as respiration and digestion to reach the different organs of our body, as well as to be released from the waste products of their functioning (as occurs with carbon dioxide, which travels to the heart to later go to the lungs and be excreted with respiration).

Although its functioning may seem simple, the truth is that its beating involves the coordination of the movement of the heart. its beating involves coordinating the movement of the heart muscle and the correct functioning of its different parts.. Its importance is such that the cessation of its functions causes our death (unless artificial mechanisms are used to perform the same function).

Although the heart is connected to and influenced by the nervous system, it actually acts largely autonomously.

Parts of the heart and their functions

The human heart is made up of different parts whose coordinated action allows blood to be pumped. It is widely known that we can find four chambers inside the heart: two atria and two ventricles.

But we must also take into account that there are other elements such as the valves that communicate between them and allow the blood to pass through and not return back, or the partitions that separate them. In general, we can find the following parts of the heart we can find the following parts of the heart.

1. Left atrium

One of the four main chambers of the heart in which blood is received and pumped.. The left atrium is characterized by being connected to the pulmonary veins, from which it receives highly oxygenated blood to later send it to the left ventricle.

2. Mitral valve

One of the parts of the heart, separates and communicates the left atrium from the left ventricle.. Its opening (generated by atrial systole) allows blood to travel between the two regions.

3. Left ventricle

Another major part of the heart. The left ventricle receives oxygen-rich blood from the left atrium and sends it to the rest of the body through the aorta. through the aorta artery.

4. Aortic sigmoid valve

This valve separates the aorta from the left ventricle and, when it opens allows oxygen-carrying blood to flow through the artery to the rest of the body when it opens.. It opens upon contraction or systole and closes upon dilation/relaxation or diastole.

5. Right atrium

The right atrium receives blood from the venae cavae, already deoxygenated blood, to send it to the right ventricle..

6. Tricuspid valve

Located between the right atrium and right ventricle, the tricuspid valve separates the two chambers and allows blood to pass between them through its opening.. It also prevents blood from flowing backwards once closed (which occurs when the ventricle contracts).

7. Right ventricle

This part of the heart receives blood from the right atrium and sends it to the lungs through the pulmonary arteries. There the blood is re-oxygenated to later return to the heart through the pulmonary veins..

8. Pulmonary sigmoid valve

This is a valve that separates the right ventricle from the pulmonary arteries. Contraction of the ventricle causes it to open, allowing blood to pass into the respiratory system..

9. Atrial septum

This is the muscular wall that separates separates the two atria.

10. Interventricular septum

Muscular wall that separates the left ventricle from the right ventricle.

11. Sinus node or sinoatrial node

This element located in the upper part of the right atrium may not be particularly well known, but it is one of the most important parts of the heart since it allows it to function.

The fact is that This node is the structure that allows the heart to beat when it generates electrical impulses that cause it to contract (in a similar way to what happens in the right atrium). (similarly to neurons, the heart beats because this element generates action potentials based on the chemical balance between sodium and potassium). Its functioning is regulated by the autonomic nervous system, although it can function on its own.

12. Atrioventricular or Aschoff-Tawara Node

This node is another part of the heart whose function enables the heartbeat to beat.. It conducts and helps coordinate the electrical impulse initiated in the sinus node. It allows the ventricles not to contract before the blood in the atria passes into them.

13. His fascicles and Purkinje fibers

These are the elements through which the electrical impulse the electrical impulse initiated in the previous modules travels through the entire heart, allowing, for example, the discharge to reach the atria.allowing, for example, the discharge to reach the ventricles.

Arteries and veins

Although they are not properly part of the heart, the following veins and arteries are those that maintain direct contact with it.

Pulmonary veins

These are the veins that carry blood from the lungs to the heart, their content being rich in oxygen (it is the only type of vein whose content is abundant in oxygen).

2. Aortic artery

This artery carries oxygen-rich blood to the rest of the body.

3. Cavae veins

The venae cavae are the blood vessels that bring the deoxygenated blood that has been circulating throughout the body back into the heart.

4. Pulmonary arteries

These are the blood vessels that carry oxygen-depleted blood back to the lungs for oxygenation. This is the only type of artery that carries blood without nutrients and oxygen.