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Heart anatomy

The atria and ventricles of the heart, and some of the heart's blood vessels

Your heart has four separate chambers that pump blood. The chambers are called the right atrium, right ventricle, left atrium, and left ventricle.

The right side of your heart receives oxygen-poor blood from your veins (the vena cava) and pumps it to your lungs (through the pulmonary artery), where the blood picks up oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide. The left side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from your lungs (through the pulmonary veins) and pumps it to the rest of your body (through the aorta).

ByHealthwise Staff
Primary Medical Reviewer Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology
Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine
Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine
Specialist Medical Reviewer Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology
Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine

Current as ofOctober 5, 2017

Current as of: October 5, 2017

Author: Healthwise Staff

Medical Review: Rakesh K. Pai, MD, FACC - Cardiology, Electrophysiology & Adam Husney, MD - Family Medicine & Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine & Robert A. Kloner, MD, PhD - Cardiology & Martin J. Gabica, MD - Family Medicine