The Children's Heart Institute - Hasan Abdallah, M.D.Patient Education
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Heart House | Heart Electric System | Blood Flow Diagram
Blood Flow Slide Show | How the Heart Pumps | The Aorta
How Blue Blood Becomes Red

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How the Heart Works: Blood Flow Diagram
How Blood Flows Through a Healthy Heart

This diagram shows how blood flows through a healthy heart.


Left Side of the Heart
The blood coming from the lungs to the heart collects in the Left Atrium, filling it up. This initiates a contraction of the walls of the Left Atrium forcing the Mitral Valve to open as the blood gushes into the Left Ventricle.

The Left Ventricle fills with blood which forces the Mitral Valve to close and initiates the muscle of the Left Ventricle to contract, open the Aortic Valve, and squeeze the blood through the Aortic Valve and on to the body.

The blood coming out of the Left Ventricle to the Aorta is under high pressure. This pressure is enough to rush it to the different parts of the body at high velocity and give its oxygen and nutrients to the body tissues. The blood comes back from the body to the right side of the heart.

Click here for a Print and Color page

Right Side of the Heart
The blood coming from the body to the heart collects in the Right Atrium, filling it up. This initiates a contraction of the walls of the Right Atrium forcing the Tricuspid Valve to open as the blood gushes to the Right Ventricle.

The Right Ventricle fills with blood which forces the Tricuspid Valve to close and initiates the muscle of the Right Ventricle to contract, open the Pulmonic Valve and squeeze the blood through the Pulmonic Valve and on to the lungs.

This blood will replenish itself with more oxygen and get rid of the carbon dioxide and return to the left side of the heart to begin another cycle.

Click here to listen to a normal heart recorded on an ECHO ultrasound machine.

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Next on the tour is an animated slide show of how blood flows through a healthy heart.

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