The Mammalian Heart

The mammalian heart
Specific objectives:
By the end of this topic student will be able to:
1. Describe the structure and function of the mammalian heart.
2. Relate the structures within the heart to their functions.
3. Explain the ‘lub - dub’ sound of the heart.
4. Explain blood pressure.
5. Explain the pulse.
The mammalian heart
What is the heart?
The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood through blood vessels around the
body. The tissue that makes up most of the heart is the cardiac muscle. The
cardiac muscles ensure that the heart beat continuously without ever getting tired.
Light bulb moment: What do you think will happen to you if your cardiac muscles
get tired?
The cardiac muscle is a type of involuntary muscle. This means that it contracts
and relaxes on its own. You do not have control over it.
The cardiac muscle is made up of muscle fibres that are branched. This enables
The mammalian heart
What is the heart
them to communicate with each other and so contract together.
The mammalian heart is two pumps lying side by side.
Do you know how the heart is made up?

The mammalian heart
Structure of the heart
The heart is divided vertically into two by a septum. The septum ensures that
oxygenated blood does not mix with deoxygenated blood while in the heart.
What do you think will happen if oxygenated blood mixes with deoxygenated
blood?
The heart is then divided again, this time horizontally by valves. Hence,
collectively, the mammalian heart is divided into four chambers. The two chambers
on the right contain deoxygenated blood (blood not so rich in oxygen).
While the two chambers on the left contain oxygenated blood (blood rich in
oxygen).
The mammalian heart
The two top chambers, called atria,have thin walls and they collect blood entering
the heart. The bottom two chambers, called ventricles, have thick walls and they
pump blood out of the heart.
Light bulb moment: the left ventricle is much thicker than the right ventricle. Why is
this so?
Valves are present between each atrium and ventricle and in the pulmonary artery
and aorta to ensure that blood flows through the heart in one direction only.
Why is this one directional blood flow so important?
The mammalian heart
Notice that the walls of the atria are not as thick as the walls of the ventricles.
Each atrium pumps blood at low pressure into the ventricles. There is no
resistance to the flow of blood and the blood does not have far to move, so atria
do not have walls as thick as the ventricles.
The mammalian heart
How the heart works
When the heart muscle relaxes it is called diastole. During diastole,

deoxygenated blood from the head and body enter the right atrium through
through each vena cava. At the same time, oxygenated blood from the lungs
enters the left ventricle through the pulmonary veins.
The atria fill with blood and then contract. The contraction phase is called systole.
The increase pressure from the contraction opens the tricuspid and bicuspid
valves and forces blood past the semi-lunar valves, which guard the openings of
the pulmonary artery and aorta
The right ventricle pumps blood into the pulmonary artery to be carried to the
lungs. The left ventricle pumps blood into the aorta to be carried to the rest of the
body. The semi-lunar valves close when the ventricles relax.
The mammalian heart
The heart’s pacemaker
The heart beats at about 72 beats per minute, although perfectly healthy people
have heart rates higher and lower than this. In the right there is a special tissue
known as the sino-atrial node which is the heart’s own pacemaker. Muscle in the
sino-atrial node contracts and emits electrical impulses at regular intervals. These
impulses spread across the heart stimulating the rest of the cardiac muscle to
contract, first the atria and then the ventricles.
We can increase and decrease the heart rate by sending impulses from the brain
along nerves that end on the sino-atrial node. We send out impulses to spreed up
the heart rate and to slow it down. The hormone adrenaline also speeds up the
heart.
Class activity
Label the following structures of the mammalian heart
VI
The mammalian heart
The mammalian heart
The heart sounds
Stethoscopes are used to listen to body sounds, such as the sounds from the
lungs during breathing, the movement of blood in arteries and the “ lubb-dupp”
sounds from the heart. These heart sounds are caused by the closure of the heart
valves.
● “Lubb” - closure of the bicuspid and tricuspid valves (louder sound)
● “Dupp” - closure of the semilunar valve (softer)
Pulse
The arteries expand when the ventricles contract and recoil when they relax
causing a slight swelling to be felt where arteries pass near to the skin over
something firm like muscle or bone. This movement that you can feel is the pulse.
The most common places for the pulse to be felt are in the neck ( where the
carotid artery passes over thick muscle) and on the inside of the wrist (where the
artery passes over the wrist bones). The usual pulse rate is approximately 72
beats per minutes.
The mammalian Heart
Important terms to know:
1. Cardiac cycle - during the cardiac cycle the atria and ventricles at the two
sides of the heart contract and relax together.
Please make brief notes on the cardiac cycle.
2. Double circulation- double circulation involves the flow of blood twice through
the heart during one complete cycle around the body.
Please make brief notes on double circulation.
3. Pulmonary circulation-In pulmonary circulation blood travels from the right

ventricle through the pulmonary artery to the lungs to pick up oxygen and lose
carbon dioxide.
Please make brief notes on pulmonary circulation.

Left atrium
AN EXTERNAL VIEW OF THE HEART FROM THE FRONT OF THE BODY.

The dark red structure at the top right of the heart is the left atrium
Diagram of the heart
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The mammalian heart

them to communicate with each other and so contract together.

The mammalian heart is two pumps lying side by side.

Do you know how the heart is made up?

When the heart muscle relaxes it is called diastole. During diastole,

The heart’s pacemaker

3. Pulmonary circulation-In pulmonary circulation blood travels from the right

Please make brief notes on pulmonary circulation.

AN EXTERNAL VIEW OF THE HEART FROM THE FRONT OF THE BODY.

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