Description
The heart has four chambers, the left and right atria and ventricles. The left and right sides of the heart are separated by the septum, a predominately muscular wall which prevents interaction between the systemic and pulmonary circulation.
The atria are relatively small and thin walled. Their function is to collect blood and pass it to the ventricles. The right atrium receives deoxygenated blood from the systemic circulation while the left atrium receives four pulmonary veins carrying oxygenated blood from the lungs.
The ventricles have thicker muscular walls, with the left being the dominant of the two, where it supplies oxygenated blood to the systemic circulation. The right ventricle returns deoxygenated blood to the lungs as part of the pulmonary circulation.
