Blood Flow

Through the
Heart

Blood &ows through your heart, lungs and

body in a series of steps. After delivering
oxygen and nutrients to all your organs
and tissues, your blood enters your heart
and &ows to your lungs to gain oxygen and
get rid of waste. It then &ows back to your
heart, which pumps the refreshed blood
out through your aorta to nourish your
body again.

Blood follows a path as it continuously &ows through

your heart, lungs and the rest of your body.

What is the role of blood /ow

through the heart and body?
You need continuous blood &ow through
your heart and body to stay alive. Your
heart is a powerful muscle that pumps
oxygen-rich blood out to your body. Once it
leaves your heart, this blood &ows through
many blood vessels to reach every part of
your body, from the major organs (like your
brain) to the smallest tissues at the tips of
your toes. Your blood is always on the go,
and it has two main jobs while it’s &owing
through your body:

It delivers oxygen and nutrients to all

your organs and tissues.

It removes carbon dioxide and other

waste products from those same
places.

The blood then returns to your heart once

it’s low on oxygen and full of waste
products. It needs to get Hlled with oxygen
and get rid of carbon dioxide so your heart
pumps it out to blood vessels in your
lungs. Your blood gains oxygen and gets
rid of waste in your lungs before &owing
back to your heart. Your heart gratefully
accepts this refreshed blood and pumps it
back out to your body.

In addition to its role in delivering oxygen

and nutrients, blood also contains
infection-Hghting cells called white blood
cells. White blood cells are crucial in
protecting the body from infection. Your
white blood cells circulate throughout your
body and respond to infections and
foreign materials.

This circulation of blood continues over

and over, every second of every day. Your
heart and blood vessels make it all
happen, and that’s why together they’re
known as your circulatory system. The
many parts of your circulatory system
work together like a top-notch delivery
service to keep blood moving through your
body on schedule.

Blockages in your blood vessels (like

blood clots) or other slowdowns can
disrupt this system and lead to health
issues. So, it’s important to learn how
blood &ows through your heart and body.
You can then do whatever you can to keep
this powerful system — invisible to you as
you go about your day — going strong.

ADVERTISEMENT

Cleveland Clinic is a non-proHt academic medical

center. Advertising on our site helps support our
mission. We do not endorse non-Cleveland Clinic
products or services. Policy

Where does blood /ow through

the heart?
Your heart has four chambers, which you
can think of like rooms in your home. Two
are on the right side of your heart (right
atrium and right ventricle), and two are on
the left side (left atrium and left ventricle).
Your blood &ows through all four
chambers — just not all in a row.

Like returning home after a long day at

work, your blood returns to your heart after
circulating through your body. It enters
your right atrium and then directly &ows
into your right ventricle. (It’s like when you
enter your living room and immediately
keep going to your kitchen to grab a bite to
eat.)

From your right ventricle, your blood can’t

immediately go to the two chambers on
the left side of your heart. It Hrst needs to
make a pit stop at your lungs to get rid of
waste and pick up more oxygen. So it
leaves your heart and goes to your lungs.
(It’s like when you dash into your bathroom
to take care of business and also take a
quick shower.)

After leaving your lungs, your blood enters

your left atrium and from there &ows into
your left ventricle. Your left ventricle then
pumps this blood out to your body, where
it makes the rounds before returning to
your heart. (You go to your bedroom and
get some sleep before waking up the next
day and heading back out to work.)

Heart valves

Like rooms in your home, your heart

chambers have doors. These doors — your
heart valves — open and close to manage
blood &ow and keep it moving in the
proper direction. You have four main heart
valves:

The tricuspid valve connects your

right atrium and right ventricle.

The pulmonary valve connects your

right ventricle and main pulmonary
artery (large artery that carries blood
to your lungs).

The mitral valve connects your left

atrium and left ventricle.

The aortic valve connects your left

ventricle and aorta (large artery that
carries blood away from your heart to
the rest of your body).

Blood &ows through the heart in a series of arteries,

ventricles, veins and valves.

What is the order of blood /ow

through the heart, step by step?
The right and left sides of your heart work
together to make sure blood &ows
throughout your whole body. Blood &ows
through your heart in a series of steps.
These steps take place in the space of one
heartbeat — just a second or two.

On the right side

1. Oxygen-poor blood from all over your

body enters your right atrium through
two large veins, your superior vena
cava and inferior vena cava. These
veins drain blood from your upper
body and lower body, respectively, and
directly empty it into your right atrium.

2. Your tricuspid valve opens to let blood

travel from your right atrium to your
right ventricle.

3. When your right ventricle is full it

squeezes, which closes your tricuspid
valve and opens your pulmonary
valve.

4. Blood &ows through your main

pulmonary artery and its branches to
your lungs, where it gets oxygen and
releases carbon dioxide.

On the left side

1. Oxygen-rich blood travels from your

lungs to your left atrium through large
veins called pulmonary veins. These
veins directly empty the blood into
your left atrium.

2. Your mitral valve opens to send blood

from your left atrium to your left
ventricle.

3. When your left ventricle is full it

squeezes, which closes your mitral
valve and opens your aortic valve.

4. Your heart sends blood through your

aortic valve to your aorta, where it
&ows to the rest of your body.

How much blood does your heart

pump?

Your heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of

blood each day. That’s enough to Hll an 8-
by-10-foot swimming pool.

It beats around 100,000 times daily. In an

average life span of almost 79 years, your
heart beats nearly 2.9 billion times.

What conditions affect blood /ow

through the heart?

Certain conditions can affect the pathway

of blood &ow in your heart. Some of these
conditions include:

Arrhythmia: An irregular heartbeat like

atrial Hbrillation or ventricular
Hbrillation.

Congestive heart failure: Damage or

weakness in your heart muscle,
making it harder for your heart to
pump blood to the rest of your body.

Coronary artery disease (CAD):

Hardening and narrowing of the
arteries that carry blood to your heart
muscle due to plaque buildup.

Peripheral artery disease (PAD):

Hardening and narrowing of the
arteries that carry blood to the rest of
your body due to plaque buildup.

Heart attack: A sudden blockage in

your coronary artery that cuts off
oxygen to part of your heart muscle.

Heart valve disease: A heart valve that

doesn’t work properly. For example, it
may be narrowed or leaky.

Structural congenital heart defects:

Problems with your heart structure
that are present at birth, including
bicuspid aortic valve disease.

Sudden cardiac arrest: Sudden loss of

heart function because of a
malfunction in your heart’s electrical
system.

ADVERTISEMENT

How does blood /ow through

the body, step by step?
Your heart pumps oxygen-rich blood
through your aortic valve and into your
aorta. Your aorta is your body’s main
artery, and it has many branches that go in
different directions to reach various areas
of your body. Picture a tree with one main
trunk (your aorta) and lots of branches (all
the arteries that connect to your aorta).
Your aorta and its branches are
responsible for delivering blood to your
entire body.

Here’s what happens once blood is in your

aorta:

1. Blood passes from your aorta into

other arteries that directly branch off
your aorta (aortic branches).

2. The Hrst aortic branches are your

coronary arteries, which nourish your
heart muscle.

3. Many more arteries branch off your

aorta as it travels through your chest
and belly.

4. Ultimately, your aorta splits

(bifurcates) into two terminal
branches called your iliac arteries.
Your aorta and your iliac arteries form
an upside-down Y near your belly
button.

5. Many of your aorta’s branches have

their own branches, which you can
think of like twigs. These arteries
meander through every part of your
body.

M. Blood &ows from your arteries into

even smaller blood vessels called
arterioles.

7. Your arterioles link up with vessels

that are smaller yet, called capillaries.
Your capillaries have very thin walls
that allow oxygen and nutrients to
pass into your organs and tissues.

O. After swapping the oxygen and

nutrients for the waste products, your
capillaries connect with venules. Your
venules are small blood vessels that
link up with veins.

9. Your veins carry blood that’s now low

in oxygen and full of waste back
toward your heart.

10. Blood from all your veins ultimately

ends up in your superior vena cava
and inferior vena cava. These two
large veins empty the blood directly
into your heart’s right atrium.

11. Your blood then cycles through your

heart and lungs before going back out
to your body all over again.

Blood &ow through your body is a complex

and beautiful system. It operates 24/7,
whether you’re awake or asleep. This
constant blood &ow allows you to think,
speak, move and interact with your
environment.

What conditions affect blood /ow

through the body?

Many different circulatory system

diseases can disrupt normal blood &ow
through your body. For example, you may
develop:

Weak spots in your artery wall

(aneurysms).

Plaque buildup in your arteries

(atherosclerosis).

Weakened or damaged veins (venous

disease).

Abnormal connections between

arteries and veins (arteriovenous
Hstulae).

Sometimes, you can prevent or at least

lower your risk of these conditions. Other
times, factors like heredity (the genes you
inherit from your biological parents) and
aging take over, and there’s not much you
can do about it.

Even if you can’t prevent all the conditions

affecting blood &ow, you can work with a
healthcare provider to manage any
problems that come up and keep them
from getting worse.

How can I improve blood /ow in

my heart and body?
Here are some things you can do to
support healthy blood &ow:

Reach and keep a weight that’s healthy

for you.

Eat a heart-healthy diet.

Exercise for about 150 minutes per

week (that’s 30 minutes, Hve days a
week).

Limit alcohol intake.

Manage stress with healthy coping

techniques such as talk therapy or
meditation.

Quit smoking or using any tobacco

products.

A note from Cleveland Clinic

Close your eyes and imagine what you

could see from an airplane window as you
prepare to land near a big city. Picture
complex networks of roads and highways,
connecting and diverging at various
points. Long lines of cars all move along,
intent on keeping up with the &ow of traec
and reaching their destinations. A similar
hustle and bustle goes on inside your body
all the time, on a much smaller scale, as
blood moves through your heart and blood
vessels.

The tiny inner workings of your body are Ad

easy to forget about because you don’t

see them every day. Yet this constant