Which chamber of the heart pumps blood to the rest of the body?
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Understanding how your heart functionsYour heart is roughly the size of a fist and sits in the middle of your chest, slightly to the left. It’s the muscle at the centre of your circulation system, pumping blood around your body as your heart beats. This blood sends oxygen and nutrients to all parts of your body, and carries away unwanted carbon dioxide and waste products. Structure of your heartYour heart is made up of three layers of tissue:
These layers are surrounded by the pericardium, a thin outer lining protecting your heart. There are four chambers that make up the heart – two on the left side and two on the right. The two small upper chambers are the atria. The two larger lower chambers are the ventricles. These left and right sides of the heart are separated by a wall of muscle called the septum. Circulatory systemYour heart pumps blood around the body all the time - about five litres (eight pints) of it - and this is called circulation. Your heart, blood and blood vessels together make up your cardiovascular system (or heart and circulatory system). The right side of the heart receives blood that is low in oxygen because most has been used up by the brain and body. It pumps this to your lungs, where it picks up a fresh supply of oxygen. The blood then returns to the left side of the heart, ready to be pumped back out to the brain and the rest of your body. Blood vesselsYour blood is pumped around your body through a network of blood vessels:
Blood vessels are able to widen or narrow depending on how much blood each part of your body requires. This action is partly controlled by hormones. ValvesYour heart has four valves. They act like gates, keeping the blood moving in the right direction:
Electrical systemFor your heart to keep pumping regularly, it needs electrical signals which are sent to the heart muscle telling it when to contract and relax. The electrical signal starts in the right atrium where your heart’s natural pacemaker - the sino–atrial node - is situated. This signal crosses the atria, making them contract. Blood is pumped through the valves into the ventricles. Where the atria meet the ventricles, there is an area of special cells - called the atrio-ventricular node - which pass the electrical signals throughout your heart muscle by a system of electrical pathways, known as the conducting system. The muscles of the ventricles then contract, and blood is pumped through the pulmonary and aortic valves into the main arteries. The heart’s natural ‘pacemaker’ - the sino-atrial node - produces another electrical signal, and the cycle starts again. Blood pressureThis is the measurement of the pressure within the arteries. It plays a vital role in the way your heart delivers fresh blood to all your blood vessels. For blood to travel throughout your body quickly enough, it has to be under pressure. This is created by the relationship between three things:
One heartbeat is a single cycle in which your heart contracts and relaxes to pump blood. At rest, the normal heart beats approximately 60 to 100 times every minute, and it increases when you exercise. To ensure an adequate blood supply around your body, the four chambers of your heart have to pump regularly and in the right sequence. There are two phases to your heart’s pumping cycle:
How does a healthy heart work? (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ep4cQrYFL0w)Read more from Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland on how the heart works. What can go wrong?StructureSome people are born with a heart that has not developed properly in the womb before birth - this is called congenital heart disease. Sometimes you can inherit a heart condition from your family. Cardiovascular systemProblems with your heart and circulation system include:
Heart disease can happen when your coronary arteries become narrowed by a gradual build-up of fatty material - called atheroma. If your coronary arteries are narrowed or blocked, the blood supply to your heart will be impaired. This is the most common form of heart disease, known as coronary heart disease (sometimes called coronary artery disease or ischaemic heart disease). Eventually, your arteries may become so narrow they can’t deliver enough blood to your heart. This can cause angina - a pain or discomfort in your chest, arm, neck, stomach or jaw. If the fatty material breaks off or ruptures, a blood clot will form, which can cause heart attack (or stroke, if the artery affected is carrying blood to your brain). Electrical systemNormally your heart will beat between 60 to 100 times per minute. This regular rhythmic beating is dependent upon electrical signals being conducted throughout your heart. If the electrical signals within your heart are interrupted, your heart can beat too quickly (tachycardia), too slowly (bradycardia) and/or in an irregular way. This is called an arrhythmia - see Chest Heart & Stroke Scotland. Conditions affecting the pumping of your heart There are some conditions which can damage your heart muscle, making it weak and unable to pump as efficiently as before:
There are also conditions - like high blood pressure (hypertension) - which mean your heart has to work harder. When your heart muscle can’t meet your body’s demands for blood and oxygen, you can develop various symptoms, like breathlessness, extreme tiredness and ankle swelling. This is called heart failure because of the failure of your heart to pump blood around the body and work efficiently. ValvesYour heart can’t function normally if the heart valves aren't working properly, as it can affect the flow of blood through the heart. There are two main ways that the valves can be affected:
Last updated: Which chamber of the heart pumps blood to the rest of the body Weegy?The oxygen-rich blood returns to the heart through the left atrium and eventually into the left ventricle. This chamber then pumps blood to the other organs of the body through the aorta.
What pumps blood to all body parts?The purpose of your heart is to pump blood to the organs and tissues of your body that need the oxygen and nutrients it carries. Oxygen-rich blood is pumped out of the left side of your heart (shown on the right in the diagram) into the arteries to these tissues and organs.
Which heart chamber is responsible for pumping blood?The left ventricle pumps the blood through the aortic valve into the aorta and out to the body. Blood then returns to the superior and inferior vena cava and drains into the right atrium and the cycle continues.
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