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Overview

The heart, an organ functioning as a two-sided pump, is made up of four chambers, with an atrium and a ventricle on each side. The atria, located in the upper portion of the heart, receive blood entering the heart. The ventricles, located in the lower portion, pump the blood out. As the blood enters and exits the heart in a one-way fashion, four valves open and close the chambers in response to differences in blood pressure on their respective sides.

Process

The right side of the heart receives blood low in oxygen and high in carbon dioxide from the systemic circuit, or the body tissues. The blood flows from the atrium to the ventricle and is then pumped to the pulmonary circuit, the lungs. In the lungs, the blood releases carbon dioxide and gathers oxygen. The oxygenated blood then travels back to the heart and enters on the left side where it is pumped through the other atrium and then the ventricle before heading back to the systemic circuit. In the tissues, gases and nutrients are exchanged and the blood, once again depleted of oxygen and loaded with carbon dioxide, flows back to the right side of the heart to continue the cycle.

Function of Atrioventricular Valves

The atrioventricular valves are located where the atria and ventricles meet and are responsible for preventing blood from flowing back into the atria when the ventricles contract. The tricuspid valve, found between the right atrium and right ventricle, has three flexible cusps, or flaps, that allow the valves to open and close completely. The mitral, or bicuspid, valve has two cusps and is located on the left side of the heart.

Function of Semilunar Valves

The aortic and pulmonary semilunar valves are located between the ventricles and the base of the large arteries receiving the blood pumped out of the heart. The pulmonary semilunar valve is located on the right side of the heart servicing the pulmonary trunk while the aortic semilunar valve resides on the left side of the body and abuts the aorta. The semilunar valves prevent the blood exiting the heart from flowing back into the ventricles.

Defects

Congenital defects, infection, heart attack and damage are all causes for heart valve malfunction. Valvular stenosis is a condition in which the valve is less flexible and narrows the opening for the blood to flow through. If too constricted, the heart is less efficient and unable to send adequate blood to the rest of the body. Valvular insufficiency is when the valve does not close entirely and causes a backward flow, or regurgitation, of blood through the valve.

Treatment

Defective heart valves may not significantly affect the functioning of the heart and therefore do not require treatment. However, some valvular conditions may necessitate medication, surgical repair or total replacement.