I know what you’re thinking; I hope by the end of this article I can find out if it really is true that I can MacGyver an electrical cord together and shock my heart into restarting should it stop! Quick answer….. maybe, if you’re an electrical engineer with all the appropriate gear, or go buy an automatic external defibrillator (they’re really not that expensive). Before you budding electricians all rush on out to RadioShack for all the equipment, let’s find out how this beast of an organ works.
The heart is a two part pump, one part mechanical and one part electrical. The mechanical function of the heart is governed by the electrical system within the heart. That electrical system, in turn, can be affected by neurotransmitters from the brain (or fancy pacemakers created by the Dr. Frankenstein-like minds of the world). But since we’re only talking about the heart today, we will only focus on the ability of the electrical system of the heart. Should you want to know how the brain governs it, I direct you to the many medical schools around the country!
The heart is a four chambered pump. The top two chambers are called Atria, the bottom two are called Ventricles. They are separated from top to bottom by valves; the right and left sides are separated by a septum. So what makes the pump squeeze? Well the heart is a muscle, and like all muscles, when it gets shocked by electricity, it contracts. If you don’t believe me, just stick a fork in the nearest electrical socket and see if anything tenses up! (DISCLAIMER: Due to our lawyers incessant need to justify themselves, they advised us to say, “Don’t do that. It could cause you harm”). When the hearts muscle gets “shocked”, they contract and force the blood down its path. The valves I just spoke of are one way, and will not allow blood to flow back through the system. If it does, see your nearest physician cause death could be imminent!
The blood’s path through the heart starts in a vein called the Superior Vena Cava. Then it enters the right atrium, flows through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle. From there it travels through the pulmonic valve into pulmonary arteries, then the lungs. Take a deep breath. Awe…… the sweet feeling of oxygen entering the blood! Now let it out, OOUU….. the halitosis laden Co2 leaving the body! Now back to the heart and into the left atrium, through the mitral valve and Walla! The blood is now in the “strongest” chamber of the heart, the left ventricle. From there it gets pumped through the aortic valve and into the aorta and out to the rest of the body!
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