{"id":46964,"date":"2018-12-17T16:07:36","date_gmt":"2018-12-17T16:07:36","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/?page_id=46964"},"modified":"2026-03-25T11:55:08","modified_gmt":"2026-03-25T16:55:08","slug":"heart-blood-flow","status":"publish","type":"page","link":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/heart-blood-flow\/","title":{"rendered":"Heart Blood Flow and Heart Anatomy"},"content":{"rendered":"\n\t\t\t<div id=\"mmDeferVideoEncompass_bRBvT-U-M_I\" style=\"position: relative;\">\n\t\t\t<picture>\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.webp\" type=\"image\/webp\">\n\t\t\t\t<source srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" type=\"image\/jpeg\"> \n\t\t\t\t<img fetchpriority=\"high\" decoding=\"async\" loading=\"eager\" id=\"videoThumbnailImage_bRBvT-U-M_I\" data-source-videoID=\"bRBvT-U-M_I\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/01\/circle-play-duotone.png\" alt=\"Heart Blood Flow and Heart Anatomy Video\" height=\"464\" width=\"825\" class=\"size-full\" data-matomo-title = \"Heart Blood Flow and Heart Anatomy\">\n\t\t\t<\/picture>\n\t\t\t<\/div>\n\t\t\t<style>img#videoThumbnailImage_bRBvT-U-M_I:hover {cursor:pointer;} img#videoThumbnailImage_bRBvT-U-M_I {background-size:contain;background-image:url(\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/07\/updated-heart-blood-flow-and-heart-anatomy-64bfe02015bd5.webp\");}<\/style>\n\t\t\t<script defer>\n\t\t\t  jQuery(\"img#videoThumbnailImage_bRBvT-U-M_I\").click(function() {\n\t\t\t\tlet videoId = jQuery(this).attr(\"data-source-videoID\");\n\t\t\t\tlet helpTag = '<div id=\"mmDeferVideoYTMessage_bRBvT-U-M_I\" style=\"display: none;position: absolute;top: -24px;width: 100%;text-align: center;\"><span style=\"font-style: italic;font-size: small;border-top: 1px solid #fc0;\">Having trouble? <a href=\"https:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v='+videoId+'\" target=\"_blank\">Click here to watch on YouTube.<\/a><\/span><\/div>';\n\t\t\t\tlet tag = document.createElement(\"iframe\");\n\t\t\t\ttag.id = \"yt\" + videoId;\n\t\t\t\ttag.src = \"https:\/\/www.youtube-nocookie.com\/embed\/\" + videoId + \"?autoplay=1&controls=1&wmode=opaque&rel=0&egm=0&iv_load_policy=3&hd=0&enablejsapi=1\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.frameborder = 0;\n\t\t\t\ttag.allow = \"autoplay; fullscreen\";\n\t\t\t\ttag.width = this.width;\n\t\t\t\ttag.height = this.height;\n\t\t\t\ttag.setAttribute(\"data-matomo-title\",\"Heart Blood Flow and Heart Anatomy\");\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_bRBvT-U-M_I\").html(tag);\n\t\t\t\tjQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoEncompass_bRBvT-U-M_I\").prepend(helpTag);\n\t\t\t\tsetTimeout(function(){jQuery(\"div#mmDeferVideoYTMessage_bRBvT-U-M_I\").css(\"display\", \"block\");}, 2000);\n\t\t\t  });\n\t\t\t  \n\t\t\t<\/script>\n\t\t\n<p><script>\nfunction H5L_Function() {\n  var x = document.getElementById(\"H5L\");\n  if (x.style.display === \"none\") {\n    x.style.display = \"block\";\n  } else {\n    x.style.display = \"none\";\n  }\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n<div class=\"moc-toc hide-on-desktop hide-on-tablet\">\n<div><button onclick=\"H5L_Function()\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2024\/12\/toc2.svg\" width=\"16\" height=\"16\" alt=\"show or hide table of contents\"><\/button><\/p>\n<p>On this page<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<nav id=\"H5L\" style=\"display:none;\">\n<ul>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Blood_Flow_Through_the_Heart\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Blood Flow Through the Heart<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Heart_Diagram\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Heart Diagram<\/a><\/li>\n<li class=\"toc-h2\"><a href=\"#Review\" class=\"smooth-scroll\">Review<\/a><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<\/nav>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"accordion\"><input id=\"transcript\" type=\"checkbox\" class=\"spoiler_button\" \/><label for=\"transcript\">Transcript<\/label>\n<div class=\"spoiler\" id=\"transcript-spoiler\">\n<p>Hi and welcome to this video review of blood flow through the heart. Knowledge of blood flow through the heart is necessary in order to fully understand cardiovascular diseases and will play an important role in your nursing career.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Blood_Flow_Through_the_Heart\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Blood Flow Through the Heart<\/h2>\n<p>\nDeoxygenated blood flows into the <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/heart-anatomy-and-physiology\/\">heart<\/a> through the superior vena cava (the SVC), inferior vena cava (the IVC) and the coronary sinus. The SVC and IVC bring blood back to the heart from the rest of the body and the coronary sinus returns blood that was used for coronary blood flow&#8211; that\u2019s the blood that perfuses the heart muscle.<\/p>\n<p>Deoxygenated blood fills the right atrium then the tricuspid valve opens, sending blood into the right ventricle. Once the right ventricle fills, the pulmonary valve opens and blood enters the pulmonary artery, traveling to the <a class=\"ylist\" href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/lung-sounds\/\">lungs<\/a> where it is oxygenated.<\/p>\n<p>The oxygenated blood then flows through the pulmonary vein into the left atrium. Once the left atrium fills, the mitral valve opens, sending blood into the left ventricle, which fills then sends oxygenated blood through the aortic valve into the aorta then on to the rest of the body. Oxygenated blood is sent to the tissues to distribute oxygen and returns in veins to the SVC and IVC to be reoxygenated.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Heart_Diagram\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Heart Diagram<\/h2>\n<p>\n<img decoding=\"async\" src=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/heart-blood-flow-scaled.webp\" alt=\"\" width=\"1024\" height=\"783.2\" class=\"aligncenter size-full wp-image-206795\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/heart-blood-flow-scaled.webp 2560w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/heart-blood-flow-300x229.webp 300w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/heart-blood-flow-1024x783.webp 1024w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/heart-blood-flow-768x587.webp 768w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/heart-blood-flow-1536x1175.webp 1536w, https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-content\/uploads\/2023\/10\/heart-blood-flow-2048x1567.webp 2048w\" sizes=\"(max-width: 2560px) 100vw, 2560px\" \/><\/p>\n<p>As you can see, the heart and circulatory system is just a large, closed circuit pump. As nurses, we need to be able to understand the flow of the cardiovascular system and how a problem in one area of the heart will affect the patient and the rest of the system. Take a moment to think about all the different factors that can affect the heart\u2019s pumping ability\u2026 valve stenosis, regurgitation, or prolapse, pulmonary hypertension, and heart failure to name a few.<\/p>\n<h2><span id=\"Review\" class=\"m-toc-anchor\"><\/span>Review<\/h2>\n<hr>\n<p>\nNow let\u2019s test your knowledge with a couple practice questions.<\/p>\n<p>1. You note a diagnosis of mitral valve regurgitation on your patient\u2019s chart. You know the mitral valve lies between\u2026<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: lower-alpha;\">\n<li>The right atrium and right ventricle<\/li>\n<li>The left atrium and left ventricle<\/li>\n<li>The right atrium and the pulmonary artery<\/li>\n<li>The right atrium and left atrium<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer1')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer1\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom: 15px; width: 60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>If you said B, that is correct! <\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\">Mitral valve regurgitation allows blood to flow backwards across the valve, flowing from the left ventricle back into the left atrium of the heart. This question demonstrates why it is important to know your cardiac blood flow, even without knowing much about mitral regurgitation, we know where the valve is located and can deduce what signs and symptoms may occur, including left ventricular hypertrophy, left atrial enlargement, shortness of breath, cough, pulmonary congestion, and increased pulmonary pressure.\n<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\n2. While reading a patient\u2019s health history, you notice the patient has a diagnosis of right sided heart failure. You understand that right sided heart failure will cause blood to back up into the:<\/p>\n<ol style=\"list-style: lower-alpha;\">\n<li>Lungs<\/li>\n<li>Aorta<\/li>\n<li>Systemic circulation<\/li>\n<\/ol>\n<div style=\"text-align: center; margin-bottom: 20px;\"><button class=\"buttontranscript\" onClick=\"toggle('Answer2')\">Show Answer<\/button><\/div>\n<div id=\"Answer2\" style=\"display:none; box-shadow: 1.5px 1.5px 5px grey; background-color:#E0E0E0; padding: 30px; padding-bottom: 15px; width: 60%; margin: auto; text-align: center;\">\n<strong>If you said C, that is correct!<\/strong><\/p>\n<p style=\"text-align: left;\"> Think of heart failure as pump failure, when the right side of the heart is not pumping properly, the blood backs up into the patient\u2019s vascular system. Clinical manifestations for right heart failure include edema in the legs and feet, ascites, jugular venous distension, and many more.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\n&nbsp;<br \/>\nThanks for watching this video on blood flow through the heart. Please like and subscribe for more videos like this one.<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n<div class=\"home-buttons\">\n<p><a href=\"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/patient-care\/\">Return to Patient Care Videos<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p><script>\nfunction toggle(obj) {\n          var obj=document.getElementById(obj);\n          if (obj.style.display == \"block\") obj.style.display = \"none\";\n          else obj.style.display = \"block\";\n}\n<\/script><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>Return to Patient Care Videos<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":186491,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","template":"","meta":{"footnotes":""},"class_list":{"0":"post-46964","1":"page","2":"type-page","3":"status-publish","4":"has-post-thumbnail","6":"page_category-anatomy-and-physiology-videos","7":"page_category-cardiovascular-videos","8":"page_category-health-promotion-and-maintenance","9":"page_type-video","10":"subject_matter-nursing"},"aioseo_notices":[],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46964","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/page"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=46964"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46964\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":286963,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/pages\/46964\/revisions\/286963"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media\/186491"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mometrix.com\/academy\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=46964"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}