In: Anatomy and Physiology
explain the pathway of blood as it travels through your body starting at the left ventricle
The blood after pumping out from the left ventricle of heart, the blood flows through the arteries towards the body periphery. Than the artery divides into capillaries and joints with the veins. The blood through these capillaries helps in providing oxygen and nutrients to the body cells and also collects the carbon dioxide from the body cells. The blood after collecting carbon dioxide, becomes deoxygenated. The veins of the body collectively form inferior vena cava. Through this inferior vena cava, the blood flows back to the right auricle of the heart. The right auricle also receives blood from the superior vena cava, but from the upper part of the body. The blood than flows to the right ventricle through the tricuspid valve present between the right ventricle and right auricle. From the right ventricle, the blood flows to the lungs through the pulmonary artery. Exchange of gases takes place in the lungs and the oxygenated blood comes to the left auricle through the pulmonary vein. Than the blood flows to the left ventricle through the bicuspid or mitral valve present between the left ventricle and left auricle.
Left ventricle -> artery -> capillaries -> vein -> right auricle -> right ventricle-> pulmonary artery -> lungs -> pulmonary vein -> left auricle -> left ventricle