Need-to-know Anatomy: Blood Flow in the Heart

In general, the right side of the heart is responsible for pumping blood to the lungs. In a healthy heart, oxygen-depleted blood enters the heart at the right atrium, where it is pumped down into the right ventricle. When the right ventricle fills, the heart contracts strongly and pumps the blood through the pulmonary valve into the pulmonary artery, which carries the blood to the lungs. The pulmonary valve keeps the blood moving toward the lungs, preventing it from mixing with oxygen-rich blood.

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In the lungs, the carbon dioxide in the blood is exchanged for oxygen. The oxygenated blood leaves the lungs and returns to the heart via the pulmonary veins, re-entering the heart at the left atrium. Exiting the left atrium through the mitral valve, the blood flows into the left ventricle. When the left ventricle fills with blood, the heart contracts strongly, pumping blood out through the aortic valve into the aorta to circulate oxygen to the rest of the body.