The following diagram illustrates how blood travels through the heart.

1. Oxygen poor blood returns from the body and enters the right atrium 2. Oxygen poor blood passes from the right atrium to the right ventricle. The right ventricle then pumps the oxygen poor blood into the pulmonary artery. Sometimes people are confused by the pulmonary artery because most people think of arteries as having oxygen rich blood. The true definition of "artery" is any vessel that takes blood away from the heart. 3. Oxygen poor blood from the pulmonary artery travels to the lungs where the oxygen is replenished. 4. Oxygen rich blood returns from the lungs and enters the left atrium 5. Oxygen rich blood passes from the left atrium into the left ventricle. The left ventricle then pumps oxygen rich blood into the aorta. 6. Oxygen rich blood from the aorta is then circulated through out the body. The oxygen is utilized and the blood becomes oxygen poor. Return to step 1 and begin the cycle again.