Skill:
• Recognition of the chambers and valves of the heart and the blood vessels connected to it in dissected hearts
or in diagrams of heart structure
A heart is labelled as it would appear in a chest, so the left side of an image represents the right side of the heart (and vice versa)
- Hint: The left ventricle pumps blood around the entire body and so has a noticeably thicker myocardium than the right ventricle
Diagram of a Human Heart
Heart Structure
The structure of the human heart includes the following key components:
Chambers
- Two atria (singular = atrium) – smaller chambers near top of heart that collect blood from body and lungs
- Two ventricles – larger chambers near bottom of heart that pump blood to body and lungs
Heart Valves
- Atrioventricular valves (between atria and ventricles) – bicuspid valve on left side ; tricuspid valve on right side
- Semilunar valves (between ventricles and arteries) – aortic valve on left side ; pulmonary valve on right side
Blood Vessels
- Vena cava (inferior and superior) feeds into the right atrium and returns deoxygenated blood from the body
- Pulmonary artery connects to the right ventricle and sends deoxygenated blood to the lungs
- Pulmonary vein feeds into the left atrium and returns oxygenated blood from the lungs
- Aorta extends from the left ventricle and sends oxygenated blood around the body
Identifying Components of a Dissected Sheep Heart
⇒ Click on the diagram to show / hide labels
Link: Interactive Sheep Heart Dissection