Understanding Your Heart’s Function

Understanding how the heart functions may help you feel more in control of managing your behaviors. The information offered is from the American Heart Association:

Tricuspid Valve

• Closes off the upper right chamber (or atrium) that holds blood coming in from the body.
• Opens to allow blood to flow from the top right chamber to the lower right chamber (or from right atrium to right ventricle).
• Prevents the back flow of blood from the ventricle to the atrium when blood is pumped out of the ventricle.

Pulmonary Valve (or Pulmonic Valve)

• Closes off the lower right chamber (or right ventricle).
• Opens to allow blood to be pumped from the heart to the lungs (through the pulmonary artery) where it will receive oxygen.

Mitral Valve

• Closes off the upper left chamber (or left atrium) collecting the oxygen-rich blood coming in from the lungs.
• Opens to allow blood to pass from the upper left side to the lower left side (or from the left atrium to the left ventricle).

Aortic Valve

• Closes off the lower left chamber that holds the oxygen-rich blood before it is pumped out to the body.
• Opens to allow blood to leave the heart (from the left ventricle to the aorta and on to the body).