| Term | Definition |
|---|
| Aorta | The largest artery in the body, the aorta arises from the left ventricle of the heart, goes up (ascends) a little ways, bends over (arches), then goes down (descends) through the chest and through the abdomen to where ends by dividing into two arteries called the common iliac arteries that go to the legs. |
| Pulmonary Valve | One of the four valves in the heart, the pulmonary valve stands at the opening from the right ventricle in the pulmonary artery trunk. It lets blood head in the right direction (toward the lungs) and keeps it from sloshing back from the pulmonary artery into the heart. |
| Pulmonary Artery | One of the two vessels which are formed as terminal branches of the pulmonary trunk and convey unaerated blood to the lungs. The two pulmonary arteries differ in length and anatomy. |
| Right Ventricle | The lower right chamber of the heart that receives deoxygenated blood from the right atrium and pumps it under low pressure into the lungs via the pulmonary artery. |
| Tricuspid Valve | One of the four heart valves, the tricuspid valve is the first one that blood encounters as it enters the heart. The tricuspid valve stands between the right atrium and right ventricle and allows blood to flow only from the atrium into the ventricle. |
| Cardiovascular system | The circulatory system which comprises the heart and blood vessels.The cardiovascular system is a closed tubular system in which the blood is propelled by the heart. The system has two circuits, the pulmonary circuit and the systemic circuit. Each circuit has arterial, capillary, and venous components. |
| Left Atrium | The upper right chamber of the heart. The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it down into the left ventricle which delivers it to the body. |
| Vein | A blood vessel that carries blood low in oxygen content from the body back to the heart |
| Diffusion | the process in which there is movement of a substance from an area of high concentration of that substance to an area of lower concentration |
| Right Atrium | The right upper chamber of the heart. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the body through the vena cava and pumps it into the right ventricle which then sends it to the lungs to be oxygenated. |
| Heart | The muscle that pumps blood received from veins into arteries throughout the body. It is positioned in the chest behind the breastbone |
| Capillaries | Capillaries are the smallest of blood vessels. They serve to distribute oxygenated blood from arteries to the tissues of the body and to feed deoxygenated blood from the tissues back into the veins. The capillaries are thus a central component in the circulatory system, essentially between the arteries and the veins. |
| Aortic Valve | One of the four valves in the heart, this valve is situated at exit of the left ventricle of the heart where the aorta (the largest of all arteries) begins. |
| Mitral Valve | A valve in the heart situated between the left atrium and the left ventricle that permits blood to flow from the left atrium into the left ventricle but not in the reverse direction. |
| Left ventricle | The left lower chamber of the heart that receives blood from the left atrium and pumps it out under high pressure through the aorta to the body. |
| Ventricular Septum | The wall between the two lower chambers (the right and left ventricles) of the heart. |
| Systemic Circulation | Circulation of blood throughout the body through the arteries, capillaries, and veins, which carry oxygenated blood from the left ventricle to various tissues and return venous blood to the right atrium. |
| Pulmonary Circulation | The passage of blood from the right ventricle through the pulmonary artery to the lungs and back through the pulmonary veins to the left atrium. |
| Artery | A vessel that carries blood high in oxygen content away from the heart to the farthest reaches of the body. |
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