by Alicia M Prater PhD

Created on: June 04, 2009   Last Updated: June 26, 2009

The human heart is a specialized organ in the chest cavity that pumps blood to the tissues. It also receives blood from the tissues to recycle carbon dioxide and oxygen via the lungs. Here is some basic terminology that is used when discussing the human heart.

Oxygenated - Containing oxygen. The heart cycles blood through the body in an attempt to provide oxygen to the cells in the tissues. Blood travels from the heart to the lungs to pick up oxygen and give off carbon dioxide, it is now oxygenated. The blood then goes back to the heart to be pumped out to the tissues. In the tissues, the oxygen is traded for carbon dioxide, making it deoxygenated blood. The deoxygenated blood is then brought to the heart to recycle through the lungs.

Vein - A blood vessel carrying blood from the tissues to the heart. Under normal conditions, the only vein that carries oxygenated blood is the pulmonary vein (going from the lungs to the heart), all others carry deoxygenated blood.

Artery - A blood vessel carrying blood from the heart to the tissues. Under normal conditions, the only artery that carries deoxygenated blood is the pulmonary artery (going from the heart to the lungs), all others carry oxygenated blood. The largest artery is the aorta, the muscular blood vessel attached to the lower left of the heart, forms an arch, and runs down to the abdomen. From the aorta, arterial branches take blood to the head, to the outer portion of the heart, and to the body and extremities.

Vena cava - These are the veins that empty directly into the heart, specifically the right upper chamber. They are known as the superior (upper, or anterior) and inferior (lower, or posterior) vena cava.

Septum - The dividing wall of the heart, separating the chambers with heart tissue. The human heart has 4 chambers, two on each side with a septum between, from base (top) to apex (bottom) in visualizations.

Myocardial - A term meaning "relating to the myocardium". The myocardium is the heart tissue, and the individual cells of the heart are called myocytes. Cardium, cardiac, and coronary are all descriptive terms relating to the heart muscle. Similarly, endocardium means "in the heart", and pericardium means "around the heart".

Coronary arteries - These are the blood vessels responsible for providing the outer myocardium with oxygenated blood.

Ventricle - The larger, lower chambers of the heart. There is a right ventricle, which pumps blood through the pulmonary valve to the lungs via the

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