4a Normal Heart Anatomy for ACLS (2024)

Chapter 4 begins with a segment about Normal Heart Anatomy for ACLS. The heart’s four chambers are individually defined. The functions of the heart are described, from the role of the valves to the function of electrical pathways.

The heart is a hollow muscle comprised of four chambers that are all separated by thick walls of tissue called septum. The two upper chambers are the atria, and the two lower chambers are the ventricles.

The right and the left halves of the heart work together to pump blood throughout the body. The right atrium receives blood from the body and sends it to the right ventricle to be sent to the lungs for oxygenation. The left atrium receives the newly oxygenated blood and sends it to the left ventricle to be sent throughout the rest of the body.

Valves between each chamber prevent reverse blood flow.

Blood leaves the heart through a large vessel called the aorta. The two atria contract simultaneously, as do the ventricles, making the contractions of the heart go from top to bottom.

Each beat begins in the right atrium. The left ventricle is the largest and has the thickest wall, as it is responsible for pumping the newly oxygenated blood to the rest of the body.

The electrical pathways of the heart begin in the sinoatrial (or SA) node and the right atrium. Together, they create the electrical activity that acts as the heart’s natural pacemaker. This electrical impulse then travels to the atrioventricular (or AV) node, which lies between the atria and the ventricles. After pausing briefly, the electrical impulse moves to the His-Purkinje system, which acts as wiring to conduct the electrical signal into the left and the right ventricles. This electrical signal causes the heart muscle to contract and pump blood.

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