If you or a family member has any additional questions or concerns, please feel free to discuss them with your doctor or nurse at any time. Your heart has four chambers. The top two are the right and left atria and the bottom two are the right and left ventricles. The heart has four valves which allow blood to flow in one direction to the lungs and from the heart to the rest of the body. With each beat of your heart, the atria contract followed by the ventricles.
Blood then passes from the right atrium through the tricuspid valve to the right ventricle.
From the right ventricle, it passes through the pulmonary valve and the pulmonary artery into the lungs to absorb oxygen. Oxygenated blood returns from the lungs to the left atrium and through the mitral valve into the left ventricle. From the left ventricle, it passes through the aortic valve to the aorta and to the rest of the body. Your heart works as a pump to circulate blood throughout your body. Valves within the heart open and close between the four heart chambers at precise intervals to keep the blood flowing in one direction.