Left heart: Definition from Answers.com

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Left heart

Anterior (frontal) view of the opened heart. White arrows indicate normal blood flow.

External anatomy of the normal human heart, oblique view of left heart structures

Left heart is a term used to refer collectively to the left atrium and left ventricle of the heart; occasionally, this term is intended to reference the left atrium, left ventricle, and the aorta collectively.

The left atrium receives oxygenated pulmonic blood from the pulmonary veins. The blood is then pumped through the mitral valve into the left ventricle, which in turn pumps the blood through the aortic valve into the aorta.

The left side of the heart is thicker than the right because of the requirement to pump blood from the left throughout the body, as opposed to the right side pumping only through the lungs.

See also: Right heart

Anatomy of torso, cardiovascular system: heart (TA A12.1, GA 5.524)

General

Surface	base · apex · grooves (coronary/atrioventricular, interatrial, anterior interventricula, posterior interventricular) · surfaces (sternocostal, diaphragmatic) · borders (right, left)

Internal	atria (interatrial septum, musculi pectinati) · ventricles (interventricular septum, trabeculae carneae, chordae tendineae, papillary muscle) · valves · cusps · Atrioventricular septum cardiac skeleton (fibrous trigone, fibrous rings)

Chambers

Right heart	(vena cavae, coronary sinus) → right atrium (atrial appendage, fossa ovalis, limbus of fossa ovalis, crista terminalis, valve of the inferior vena cava, valve of the coronary sinus) → tricuspid valve → right ventricle (conus arteriosus, moderator band/septomarginal trabecula) → pulmonary valve → (pulmonary artery and pulmonary circulation)

Left heart	(pulmonary veins) → left atrium (atrial appendage) → mitral valve → left ventricle → aortic valve (aortic sinus) → (aorta and systemic circulation)

Layers

Endocardium	Heart valves

Myocardium	Conduction system: Cardiac pacemaker · SA node · AV node · bundle of His · Purkinje fibers

Pericardial cavity	Pericardial sinus

Pericardium	fibrous pericardium (Sternopericardiac ligaments) · serous pericardium (epicardium/visceral layer) · Fold of the left vena cava

heart navs: anat/physio/dev, noncongen/congen/neoplasia, symptoms+signs/eponymous, proc

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	mitral valve (anatomy)
	Septum (in medicine)
	Ventricular septal defect (in medicine)

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