Heart Chambers
The heart is a muscle that pumps blood to the entire body. It has four chambers, two on the right and two on the left. The two chambers on the right side of the heart receive blood from the body and pump it to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen. From the lungs, the blood enters the left side of the heart and is pumped to the body. There are four valves in the heart, which keep the blood flowing in one direction.
When the valves do not work the way they should, the heart must work harder to perform its job.
Coronary Arteries
The Coronary Arteries are blood vessels that lie on the surface of the heart and carry blood and oxygen to the heart muscle. These arteries start at the aorta and are called the Right and Left Coronary Arteries.
The right coronary artery supplies the right side of the heart. The left coronary artery divides into two main branches that supply the left side of the heart. One branch, the Left Anterior Descending, supplies the front wall of the heart. The second branch, the Circumflex, supplies the back and side walls of the heart. All of the arteries further divide into smaller branches so the entire heart muscle is supplied with blood that is carrying oxygen.
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