General Anatomy
The heart is located just behind the middle breastbone and between both lungs. With its own special muscle structure, all regions move synchronously and perform its main task of pumping blood throughout the body.
When we look at the general structure of the heart from the front, there are 4 cavities in the heart. Two on top and two on the bottom. The upper ones are called atria“atrium”and the upper ones are called ventricles“ventricle”. Again, the upper and lower main veins "vena cava", which brings venous blood to the heart, the pulmonary artery "pulmonary artery", which carries blood to the lungs, and the main artery "aorta", which carries blood from the heart to the whole body. > can be seen.
In the internal structure of the heart, there are two heart valves between the upper chambers and the lower chambers. The one on the right side is called the tricuspid valveand the one on the left side is called the mitral valve. Again, there is the "pulmonary valve" between the right ventricle and the lung, and the "aortic valve"between the left ventricle and the aorta.
It surrounds the outer surface of the heart and < There is a membrane called “pericardium”. There is lubricating pericardial fluid inside this membrane, which allows the heart to move easily.
Conduction System of the Heart
The movement activity of the heart muscle is a completely electrical process. Electrical currents are what enable the heart muscle to move sequentially and together in a regular rhythm and harmony. The main transformer for the heart to work is the center called "sinus node" (the natural battery of the heart). The electric current starting from here causes both atria to contract simultaneously, thanks to the heart's special conduction system. Then, after waiting for a short time in the transition transformer between the upper chambers and the lower chambers, called "atrioventricular node", it causes the lower chambers to contract simultaneously, allowing blood to be pumped throughout the body. In a normal person, the sinus node produces 60 - 100 beats per minute.
Arteries Providing the Heart's Own Blood Supply
Although the heart itself is an organ filled with blood, it needs arteries, like other organs of the body, for its blood supply. Right from the beginning of the aorta, the arteries that feed the heart branch off into two separate branches: the left and right coronary arteries. The right corner artery “RCA”provides blood to the conduction centers of the heart and the heart regions that pump blood to the lung vessels. The left main coronary artery is divided into two as the left anterior descending vein "LAD" and the left posterior facial vein "Cx" after a 4-5cm course. While the LADvein feeds the main pump muscles that pump blood to the whole body, theCx is the vein that feeds the auxiliary pump muscles and the muscles responsible for the movement of the heart valves.
Heart Valves
Heart valves are located between the heart cavities and in the exit areas from the heart. Between the atria and ventricles, there is the“tricuspid”valve on the right, and the “mitral”valve on the left. These valves allow one-way blood flow from the atrium (upper chamber) to the ventricle (lower chamber) and prevent blood from passing upwards from the lower chambers. From the lower chambers, blood passes towards the vessels through the“pulmonary”valve to the pulmonary artery on the right side, and through the“aortic”valve towards the main artery on the left, but it does not allow it to pass back to the heart. Thus, blood moves from the upper chambers to the lower chambers and from within the heart to the arteries.
Heart valves open and close rhythmically with the contraction and relaxation of the heart. In this way, the atria and ventricles fill and empty alternately.
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