DEV2022 Study Guide - Final Guide: Pericardial Fluid, Cardiac Muscle Cell, Heart Valve
Document Summary
The heart is a vital organ in the body that provides continuous blood circulation through the cardiac cycle. The heart is divided into four main chambers: the two upper chambers are called the left atrium and the right atrium, and the two lower chambers are called the right and left ventricle. There is a thick wall of muscle separating the right side and the left side of the heart called the septum. Normally with each heartbeat, the right ventricle pumps the same amount of blood into the lungs than the left ventricle pumps out into the body. A double-walled protective sac, known as the pericardium, surrounds the heart. The pericardium protects the heart from physical knocks and shocks, and from infection. It anchors its surrounding structures, but has no effect over the heart function in normal individuals. The superficial part of this sac is called the parietal pericardium. The inner pericardium layer is called the visceral pericardium.
