The difference between atrium and ventricle

The heart is an important organ in the human body and is the guarantee for people to live a healthy life. The heart is composed of myocardium, but its structure is not a whole but is composed of the left atrium, left ventricle, right atrium and right ventricle. These four structures each have their own different functions and play an important role in maintaining human health. In life, many people are confused about the difference between ventricles and atria. Let us introduce the difference between atria and ventricles.

1. The heart is a hollow organ composed of myocardium, divided into four chambers. The heart has four chambers. The right side of the heart is the right atrium and right ventricle, and the left side is the left atrium and left ventricle. The atria are blood reservoirs and serve as auxiliary pumps.

The ventricle is a muscular pump that performs the function of ejecting blood. It is strong and consists of two layers of spirally arranged muscle fibers, with a layer of roughly circular muscle fibers sandwiched between the two layers. The spirally arranged muscle fibers originate from the tendinous ring between the atria and ventricles. The fibers run downward around the two ventricles to the apex, and then fold back upward to form the papillary muscles. This arrangement of ventricular muscle fibers has certain physiological significance. When it contracts, the ventricles shrink both vertically and inwardly, resulting in a stronger blood expulsion force. The muscle of the left ventricle wall is about three times thicker than that of the right ventricle, so the left ventricle contracts more strongly than the right ventricle. The left atrium carries arterial blood, which is rich in oxygen; the right atrium carries venous blood, which is low in oxygen.

2. Atrioventricular valve

The connections between the atria and ventricles, and between chambers are basically non-muscle fiber connections, with atrioventricular ring connective tissue; the independence of each chamber is maintained. There are atrioventricular valves in the atria and ventricles, the mitral valve on the left and the tricuspid valve on the right. There are semilunar valves between each chamber and the aorta. These valves open in one direction to prevent blood from flowing backwards.