1. Deoxygenated Blood Arrival:
Used blood, depleted of oxygen after nourishing your body, enters the heart through two large veins called the superior and inferior vena cava. These veins empty into the right atrium, the heart's upper right chamber.
2. Right Atrium to Right Ventricle:
As the right atrium contracts, it squeezes blood into the chamber below it, the right ventricle. A valve called the tricuspid valve opens to allow blood flow, then closes to prevent backflow.
3. To the Lungs for Oxygen Pickup:
The right ventricle contracts, pumping blood through another valve, the pulmonary valve, into the pulmonary artery. This artery carries the oxygen-depleted blood to your lungs for a vital exchange.
4. Oxygenated Blood Returns:
In the lungs, the blood releases carbon dioxide and picks up fresh oxygen. This oxygen-rich blood travels back to the heart through the pulmonary veins.
5. Arrival at the Left Atrium:
These pulmonary veins deliver the oxygenated blood to the left atrium, the upper left chamber of the heart.
6. Left Atrium to Left Ventricle:
The left atrium contracts, pushing blood into the powerful chamber below, the left ventricle. The mitral valve opens during this flow and closes to prevent backflow.
7. Pumped Out to the Body:
The left ventricle, the heart's strongest chamber, contracts forcefully and pumps oxygenated blood through the aortic valve into the large artery called the aorta. The aorta branches out into a network of arteries, delivering this vital oxygen and nutrients throughout your body.
