How does the human heart pump blood? People suffer a lot from heart issues. Therefore, the study of the heart is very important. More people should know about this vital organ.

 

Materials (Working model)

• White foam sheet
• Plastic tubing
• 8 syringes (20ml)
• 1 poster paper
• Water
• Food coloring (Red and Blue)
• Paint (Red and Blue)
• Black marker
• Hot glue gun
• knife

Procedure

1. Take the large foam sheet and draw a clear diagram of the human heart.
2. Cut the heart model out with a knife.
3. Paint the part of the heart carrying deoxygenated blood blue and the part carrying oxygenated blood red.
4. Take a red foam sheet and draw the lungs right side and left side
5. Cut the lungs out
6. Glue the heart cut out on the middle of the white poster.
7. Glue the right side of the lungs on the top right of the poster and the left side on the top left.
8. Take a syringe and attach a plastic tube to it.
9. The tube should start at the superior vena cava and to the Right Atrium, through the tricuspid valve, to right ventricle, through pulmonary valve, to left pulmonary artery, to the left lung..
10. When it reaches the lungs attach another syringe to the tube and glue the syringe on the lungs.
11. Take another syringe and attach plastic tube to it. 
12. The plastic tube should start from the inferior vena cava, to right atrium, through tricuspid valve,  to right ventricle, through pulmonary valve, to right pulmonary artery, to the right lung.

13. When it reaches the lungs glue another syringe to the tube and glue the syringe to the lungs.

14.  Take another syringe and glue it to the left lung. 

15.  Attach some plastic tube to it.

16.  The plastic tube should go though the left pulmonary vein, to left Atrium, through the Bicuspid valve, to left ventricle, through the Aortic valve to the Aorta.

17. Glue a syringe above the heart representing the body.

18. Glue the plastic tube from the Aorta to that syringe.

19.  Glue a syringe to the right lung.

20. Attach some plastic tube to it.

21.  The plastic tube should go through the right pulmonary vein, to left Atrium, through the Bicuspid valve, to left ventricle, through the Aortic valve to the Aorta. 

22. Glue another syringe next to the other syringe representing the body.

23. Glue the plastic tube from the Aorta to that syringe.

24.  Take 2 plastic cups and fill them with water.

25.  Add red food coloring to one cup (oxygenated blood) and add blue to the other (deoxygenated blood).

26. With your two remaining syringes, fill one with blue water and one with red water.

27.  Use the syringe with blue water to fill one of each pair of syringes that are supposed to be carrying deoxygenated blood.

28.  Use the syringe with Red water to fill one of each pair of syringes that are supposed to be carrying oxygenated blood.

29.  Label your model.

30.  Test your model out by pushing the syringes and enjoy watching the blood flow through the heart in the circulatory system!

 

What is the Human Heart?

The human heart is a vital, muscular organ in the human body. It is situated in the front of the chest. The primary function of the heart is to pump blood throughout the body in a process called circulation. It pumps 2,000 gallons of blood per day. The heart, the blood vessels, and blood make up the circulatory system also called the cardiovascular system.

 

What is the structure of the Heart? 

•  4 chambers- Left atrium, right ventricle, right atrium, left ventricle
• 4 Valves- Pulmonary valve, tricuspid valve, Mitral valve, Aortic valve
• Veins- Inferior vena cava, Superior vena cava, Pulmonary vein (Carry blood to the heart)
• Arteries- Aorta, Pulmonary artery (Carry blood away from the heart.)

 

 

Pump of the circulatory system

The human heart is at the center of the circulatory system.This system is a network of blood vessels, such as arteries, veins, and capillaries, that carry blood to and from all areas of the human  body. These blood vessels carry blood away from and towards the heart. Arteries carry blood away from the heart and veins carry blood back to the heart. The blood carries the oxygen and nutrients that your organs need to work properly.The circulatory system delivers oxygen to cells and takes away wastes such as carbon dioxide. 

 

Types of Circulation

-There are three types of circulation that take place in the heart.

• Pulmonary circulation -  is responsible for carrying the deoxygenated blood away from the heart and to the lungs. Then it takes the oxygenated blood back to the heart.
• Systemic circulation - Oxygenated blood is pumped from the heart to every organ and tissue in the body. Then deoxygenated blood comes back to the heart.
• Coronary circulation - This is when oxygenated blood is supplied to the heart.

   

Right side of the heart

       The human heart is divided into two separate partitions. Deoxygenated partition and oxygenated partition. The right side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood. Deoxygenated blood from the body enters the heart through the Superior and  Inferior Vena Cava. Your Inferior Vena Cava, your body's largest vein, carries oxygen-depleted blood back to your heart from the lower part of your body (below your diaphragm). Your Superior Vena Cava, your second biggest vein, brings oxygen-poor blood from your upper body to your heart. The blood then enters the Right Atrium. The Right Atrium contracts pushing the blood through the Tricuspid valve into the Right Ventricle. The Right Ventricle contracts pumping the blood through the Pulmonary valve into the Pulmonary artery. The Pulmonary artery takes the blood to the lungs for oxygenation. In the lungs, the red blood cells in the blood take in oxygen and release carbon dioxide. This blood is now oxygenated.

 

Left side of the heart

The left side of the heart pumps oxygenated blood. Oxygenated blood in the lungs has to get back to the heart so it can be pumped to the rest of the body. The oxygenated blood travels through the pulmonary vein to the left atrium. The Left Atrium contracts and the blood travels through the Mitral valve (also known as the Bicuspid valve) into the Left Ventricle. The Left Ventricle contracts and pumps the blood through Aortic valve and into a major artery known as the Aorta. The Aorta carries the oxygenated blood throughout the body. Now the blood can deliver oxygen and nutrients to all of the body which insures that your organs and muscles function properly. Then the blood starts its journey around the body once more.

 

Blood supply of the Heart

The human heart needs its own blood supply for the delivery of oxygen and glucose. The heart receives this blood supply through coronary arteries. Coronary arteries branch off the Aorta. They eventually deliver blood into capillaries. The capillaries deliver oxygen and glucose to the heart. Coronary veins will take deoxygenated blood to the right Atrium. Then the blood would go through the process to get oxygenated.

 

(VAD)

A ventricular assist device (VAD) is a device that helps pump blood from the lower chambers of the heart to the rest of the body. It's a treatment for a weakened heart or heart failure. A VAD may be used to help the heart work while waiting for other treatments, such as a heart transplant.

 

Malfunctioning of the heart

When the heart muscle doesn’t pump blood as well as it should, heart failure can occur. This is when blood backs up and fluid builds up in the lungs causing shortness of breath. Heart failure can be caused by a weakened, damaged, or stiff heart. When the heart is damaged or weakened, the chambers stretch and get bigger. The heart can’t pump out the right amount of blood. The ventricles are the main pumping chambers of the heart. If they get stiff, they cant fill with enough blood between beats.

 

Diseases and Disorders

Coronary artery disease. 

The hearts supply of oxygen rich blood is limited by narrowed arteries. This results in a weakened heart muscle.

Heart attack. 

It's a form of coronary artery disease that occurs suddenly. It damages the heart muscle which causes the heart to not pump as well as it should.

Heart valve disease.

When a heart valve doesn’t work properly

High blood pressure. 

When blood pressure is high the heart works harder than it has to.

Irregular heartbeats. 

They can weaken the heart muscle and cause heart failure.

Congenital heart disease. 

Born with problems that affect the structure or function of their heart.

Diabetes. 

Increases the risk of high blood pressure and coronary artery disease.

Sleep apnea. 

This inability to breathe properly during sleep results in low blood-oxygen levels and an increased risk of irregular heartbeats. Both of these problems can weaken the heart.

Obesity. 

People who have obesity have a higher risk of developing heart failure.

Viral infections.

 Some viral infections can damage the heart muscle.

 

Observation

    I observed that, deoxygenated blood from the body doesn’t have a simple pathway through the heart. The blood has to go through different chambers, valves and arteries.  Deoxygenated blood goes through the right side of your heart. Then it goes to your lungs to become oxygenated. The Oxygenated blood goes through the left side of the heart and to the body. The blood delivers oxygen and nutrients to your body. This helps your organs and muscles to function properly. The human heart pumps about 2,000 gallons of blood every day!

Analysis

    I Analyze that, the human heart is a vital organ of the human body. People with heart diseases can be in great risk. Certain heart conditions gradually leave the heart too weak or stiff to fill and pump blood properly. These conditions include narrowed arteries in the heart and high blood pressure. Heart failure is when your heart can no longer pump enough blood to meet your body’s needs. There are many different diseases and disorders that can lead to heart failure. The most common disease is coronary artery disease. CAD leads to heart attacks. People should use lifestyle changes to prevent heart failure. We should exercise, maintain healthy diet, manage stress, and if your smoking quit!

         In conclusion, the right side of your heart receives oxygen-poor blood from your veins and pumps it to your lungs, where it picks up oxygen and gets rid of carbon dioxide. The left side of your heart receives oxygen-rich blood from your lungs and pumps it through your arteries to the rest of your body. My model was successful. When it functions you can see the pathway of blood through the heart. The human heart is a very important organ in the human body. Its functions are essential to life. Without a functioning heart your organs would not have oxygen and nutrients to function and you would not be able to survive. So exercise, eat healthy and keep your heart pumping!

 

Real life applications

• The study of the human heart can save lives and and increase  medical knowledge.

 

•  It can help improve diagnosis and treatments. 

 

• Developed models can also be used for medical teaching.

 

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_vZ0lefPg_0

https://kidshealth.org/en/parents/heart.html#:~:text=The%20circulatory%20system%20is%20made,waste%20products%2C%20like%20carbon%20dioxide.

https://my.clevelandclinic.org/health/body/22619-vena-cava

https://byjus.com/biology/heart-pump-of-the-circulatory-system/

https://ib.bioninja.com.au/standard-level/topic-6-human-physiology/62-the-blood-system/heart-structure.html

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HMqHiCgcdfk

 Shutterstock.com

https://www.mayoclinic.org/diseases-conditions/heart-failure/symptoms-causes/syc-20373142

https://myhealth.alberta.ca/Health/Pages/conditions.aspx?hwid=tx4097abc&lang=en-ca#:~:text=The%20right%20side%20of%20your,the%20rest%20of%20your%20body.

https://www.mayoclinic.org/tests-procedures/ventricular-assist-device/about/pac-20384529#:~:text=A%20ventricular%20assist%20device%20(VAD,weakened%20heart%20or%20heart%20failure.

 

       I acknowledge my science teacher Ms. Iman Khalil, for giving me advice on editing my project. I also acknowledge my science fair coordinator Ms. Ghada Aly, for answering questions and concerns I had about the cysf.