Anatomy and

physiology of the heart

The Heart
The heart, located in the thorax, is flanked laterally by the lungs and enclosed in a
pericardium.

The bulk of the heart (myocardium) is composed of cardiac muscle. The heart has four
hollow chambers – two atria (receiving chambers) and two ventricles (discharging chambers),
each lined with endocardium. The heart is divided longitudinally by a septum.

The heart functions as a double pump. The right heart is the pulmonary pump (right heart
to lungs to left heart). The left heart is the systemic pump (left heart to body tissues to right
heart).

Four valves prevents backflow of blood in the heart. The AV valves ( mitral and tricuspid)
prevent backflow into the atria when the ventricles are contracting. The semilunar valves prevent
backflow into the ventricles when the heart is relaxing. The valves open and close in response to
pressure changes in the heart.

The myocardium is nourished by the coronary circulation, which consists of the left and
right coronary arteries and their branches, and is drained by the cardiac veins and the coronary
sinus.

Cardiac muscles is able to initiate its own contraction in a regular way, but its rate is
influenced by both intrinsic and extrinsic factors. The intrinsic conduction system increases the
rate of heart contraction and ensures that the heart beats as a unit. The SA node is the heart’s
pacemaker.

As the heart beats, sounds resulting from the closing of the valves (“lub-dub”) can be
heard. Faulty valves reduce the efficiency of the heart as a pump and result in abnormal heart
sound (murmurs).