1

Heart Chambers and valves

 The interior of the heart
 4 cavities, or heart Chambers.
 Upper
 Atria (Atrium- single)
 Lower
 Ventricles (ventr = underside)
 Septum
 Separates left heart chambers from right
 Interatrial septum (Thin)
 Interventricular septum (Thick)

2
 Sulcus
 Grooves visible on the heart surface
 Indicates the boundaries of four chambers
 Carry the blood vessels supplying the myocardium
1. Coronary Sulcus
2. Interventricular Sulcus
1. The coronary sulcus or atrioventricular groove
 Encircles the junction of the atria and ventricles like a crown
(corona = crown).
2. Interventricular Sulcus
 Anterior interventricular sulcus
 Marks the anterior position of the septum separating the right and
left ventricles
 Posterior interventricular sulcus
 Marks the posterior position of the septum separating the right and
left ventricles

3

Atria: The Receiving Chambers

 Atria are remarkably free of any surface features except
auricles
 Auricle = little ear, small, wrinkled, protruding
appendages
 Increase the atrial volume somewhat
 Right Atrium:
 Internally, the right atrium has two basic parts
 Posterior part  smooth-walled
 Anterior part  walls are ridged by bundles of muscle tissue called
pectinate muscles (pectin = comb).
 The posterior and anterior regions of the right atrium are separated by
a C-shaped ridge called the crista terminalis (“terminal crest”).

4
 5

Atria: The Receiving Chambers

 Left Atrium:
 Mostly smooth and undistinguished internally.
 The interatrial septum bears a shallow depression
 fossa ovalis,
 Marks the spot where an opening, the foramen ovale, existed in the
fetal heart
 Functions of Atria:
 Atrium = entryway
 Receiving chambers for blood
 Need minimally contraction to push blood “downstairs” into
the ventricles,
 so the atria are relatively small, thin-walled chambers.
 Contribute little to the propulsive pumping activity of the
heart.
6
 Major Veins entering Atria
 Right atrium
 Blood enters the right atrium via three veins
 superior vena cava
 Returns blood from regions superior to the diaphragm;

 Inferior vena cava

 Returns blood from areas below the diaphragm

 coronary sinus
 Collects blood draining from the myocardium.

 Left Atrium
 Four pulmonary veins enter the left atrium,
 Makeup most of the heart’s base
 Transport blood from the lungs back to the heart
 Best seen in a posterior view.
7

Ventricles: The Discharging Chambers

Ventricles (ventr = underside)
Make up most of the heart volume
Right ventricle  Anterior surface
Left ventricle  Posteroinferior surface.
Irregular ridges of muscle called trabeculae carneae (
“crossbars of flesh”) present on inner walls
Functions of Ventricles:
Discharging chambers or actual pumps of the heart
 (much more massive ventricular walls)
When Ventricles contract
The right ventricle
 Pumps blood into the pulmonary trunk
The left ventricle
 Ejects blood into the aorta
8
Heart (Anterior view)

9

Heart (Posterior view)

10
 Heart (Internal view)

11

Heart Valves
 Blood flows through the heart in one direction:
 From Atria  to ventricles  out the great arteries leaving the
heart.
 This one-way traffic is enforced by four valves that open and close
in response to differences in blood pressure on their two sides.
 Atrioventricular (AV) Valves
 Tricuspid (Right AV valve)
 Bicuspid (Left AV valve)
 Also called mitral valve
 Semilunar Valves
 Pulmonary Semilunar Valve
 Aortic Semilunar Valve

12
 Heart Valves

13

Atrioventricular Valves
 Atrioventricular (AV) valves
 Tricuspid valve
 Right AV valve
 Three flexible cusps (flaps of endocardium reinforced by connective tissue cores).

 Mitral valve or Bicuspid

 Left AV valve
 Two flaps
 Resembles to the two-sided bishop’s miter or hat.

 Location:
 Located at each atrial-ventricular junction
 Function:
 Prevent backflow into the atria when the ventricles are contracting.
 Attachments:
 Tiny white collagen cords called chordae tendineae (“tendonous cords”),
“heart strings” are attached to each AV valve flap which anchor the cusps to
the papillary muscles protruding from the ventricular walls.

14
 15

Semilunar Valves
 Aortic semilunar valve
 Pulmonary semilunar, (SL)
 Function:
 Guard the bases of the large arteries issuing from the ventricles (aorta and
pulmonary trunk, respectively) and prevent backflow into the associated
ventricles.
 Anatomy:
 Each SL valve is made up of three pocketlike cusps, each shaped roughly like
a crescent moon (semilunar = half-moon).
 Working
 Like the AV valves, the SL valves open and close in response to differences in
pressure.

16
1. There are no valves guarding the entrances of the venae cavae and
pulmonary veins into the right and left atria, respectively.

2. Small amounts of blood do spurt back into these vessels during

atrial contraction, but backflow is minimal because of the inertia of
the blood and because as it contracts, the atrial myocardium
compresses and collapses these venous entry points.
3. Stenosis (Narrowing of Valves)
17