The heart is one of the essential organs in the human body and the brain and lungs. The heart is a system that maintains and balances the flow of blood by pumping the vessels of the heart. It produces good blood in the body and refines the bad blood from the body. It has four chambers, two upper champs, two lower chambers. This chapter is designed to define the heart, the structure and mechanism of human nature, and the heart’s function in the human body.
Definition of heart
“The heart refers to a muscular organ, not more than the size of a fist, that is located just behind and left side of the breastbone”. This is the simple definition of a heart, which pumps the blood through the vessels and arteries network known as the cardiovascular structure. It supplies oxygen and essential nutrition to different issues and removes the carbon dioxide and other wastes from the blood.
The location of the human heart is slightly left of the breastbone and centre of the chest. It is located between the lungs. Pericardium protects the heart and anchors it into the chest. In addition, the pericardial fluid acts as a lubricant between the inner and outer layers of the parietal pericardium.
Structure and mechanism of the human heart
Position of the heart
The heart is situated almost in the middle line of the thoracic cavity between the lungs. The lower conical part used to place a little tilted to the left. The heart is enclosed by the cage formed by the backbone ribs, breast bones, and diaphragm, known as the bony thoracic cage.
Shape and size
The heart is a hollow, cones shaped muscular organ. It is about the size of the fist and weighs about 300 g in men and 250 g in women. It can be measured between 12 cm in length and 9 cm in width.
Pericardium
The pericardium is a membranous sac where the heart is enclosed. Several layers, such as form it.
The fibrous pericardium is a loose and strict fitted inelastic sac around the heart. It is made of tough white fibrous tissues, which prevent excessive extension of heart muscles.
Serous pericardium is formed with two thin layers, the parietal and the visceral layers, also known as epicardium. In addition, there is a space known as pericardial space between these two layers, filled with pericardial fluid.
Pericardium protects the heart from any injury, shock, and friction. In addition, the pericardial fluid keeps the heart moist.
External structure
The human heart is made of four chambers. Two auricles of atria and two ventricles make the basic structure of the heart.
Auricles: the small upper part of the heart is made with auricles. It is the external demarcated from the ventricles by the coronary sulcus. Each article is produced into a flap, known as the auricular appendix.
Ventricles: these are the most significant power parts of the heart. Externally it is two ventricles marked by an oblique known as interventricular groove. There are three grooves or sulci seen on the surface of the heart. These three grooves are the coronary sulcus or ventricular groove, internal groove, and interventricular groove.
Internal structure
Atria: the auricles are the thin-walled chambers separated by an interatrial septum or thin interauricular. In the embryonic stage, the blood from the right atrium passes into the left atrium through the foramen ovale.
The left atrium is smaller than the right atrium and has thicker walls. There is a pouch-like extension from its lower edge, which is known as an auricular appendage. It has four openings of pulmonary veins.
Ventricles: this is the lower chamber thick walls of the heart. These walls are separated from each other by the interventricular septum. The left ventricle is more prominent, and its walls are about three times thicker than the ventricles.
The left ventricles pump blood to the entire body, and the right ventricles pump blood to the pulmonary arteries that supply blood to the lungs only.
Function of heart
The function of the heart is to flow the blood through the body and supply blood to all the internal organs of the body. It also controls the speed and rhyme of the heart rate and has to maintain the body’s blood pressure.
Conclusion
The function of heart is controlled and directed by the nervous and brain system. Therefore, the heart is a susceptible and essential organ of the human body. Furthermore, blood tissue requires a continuous supply of nutrition to be activated. If the tissues or organs fail to receive blood and food properly, they will die and stop functioning. This paper has described the heart’s function and its internal and external structure with the mechanism that helps make the blood flow equal and proper all over the body.