The structure of the heart
If you clench your hand into a fist, this is approximately the same size as your heart. It is located in the middle of the chest and slightly towards the left.
The heart is a large muscular pump and is divided into two halves - the right-hand side and the left-hand side.
The right-hand side of the heart is responsible for pumping deoxygenated blood to the lungs.
The left-hand side pumps oxygenated blood around the body.
Each side of the heart consists of an atrium and a ventricle which are two connected chambers.
The atria (plural of atrium) are where the blood collects when it enters the heart.
The ventricles pump the blood out of the heart to the lungs or around the body.
The septum separates the right-hand and left-hand side of the heart.
The tricuspid valve is located between the right atrium and right ventricle and opens due to a build-up of pressure in the right atrium.
The bicuspid valve is located between the left In the heart, the atria (plural) are the upper chambers which collect blood returning from the body (right atrium) or from the lungs (left atrium). and left The lower chamber of the heart that receives blood from the atrium and pumps it into arteries. and likewise opens due to a build-up of pressure, this time in the left atrium.
The semilunar valves stop the back flow of blood into the heart. There is a semilunar valve where the aorta leaves the left ventricle and another where the pulmonary artery leaves the right ventricle.