11.2 The Heart

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Cambridge O Level Biology Your notes
11.2 The Heart

Contents
The Mammalian Heart
Functioning of the Heart
Monitoring Activity of the Heart
Investigating Effect of Physical Activity on Heart Rate
Coronary Heart Disease
Page 1 of 13
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The Mammalian Heart

Your notes
The Mammalian Heart
The heart is labelled as if it was in the chest so what is your left on a diagram is actually the right-hand
side and vice versa
The right side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs
The left side of the heart receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it to the rest of the
body
Blood is pumped into the heart in veins and away from the heart in arteries
The two sides of the heart are separated by a muscle wall called the septum
The heart is made of muscle tissue which is supplied with blood by the coronary arteries
Exterior heart structure diagram
The exterior view of the heart shows coronary arteries across the surface; these supply blood to the
heart muscle itself
Interior heart structure diagram
Page 2 of 13
Your notes
The interior view of the heart allows the four chambers to be seen clearly
Exam Tip
Remember:
Arteries carry blood Away from the heart
VeINs carry blood INto the heart
Page 3 of 13
Identifying Structures in the Heart

The ventricles have thicker muscle walls than the atria as they pump blood out of the heart and so need Your notes
to generate a higher pressure
The left ventricle has a thicker muscle wall than the right ventricle as it has to pump blood at high
pressure around the entire body, whereas the right ventricle pumps blood at lower pressure to the
lungs
The septum separates the two sides of the heart and prevents the mixing of oxygenated and
deoxygenated blood
The structure of the heart shows the different valves
Page 4 of 13
The function of valves

The basic function of all valves is to prevent blood from flowing backwards Your notes
There are two sets of valves in the heart:
The atrioventricular valves separate the atria from the ventricles
These valves are pushed open when the atria contract but when the ventricles contract they are
pushed shut to prevent blood from flowing back into the atria
The semi-lunar valves are found in the two blood arteries that come out of the top of the heart
They are unusual in that they are the only two arteries in the body that contain valves
These valves open when the ventricles contract so blood squeezes past them out of the heart,
but then close to avoid blood flowing back into the heart
Page 5 of 13

Your notes
Deoxygenated blood coming from the body flows into the right atrium via the vena cava
Once the right atrium has filled with blood, the heart gives a little beat and the blood is pushed through
the atrioventricular valve into the right ventricle
The walls of the ventricle contract and the blood is pushed into the pulmonary artery through the
semilunar valve, which prevents blood from flowing backwards into the heart
The blood travels to the lungs and moves through the capillaries past the alveoli where gas exchange
takes place
This is why there has to be low pressure on this side of the heart – blood is going directly to
capillaries which would burst under higher pressure
Oxygen-rich blood returns to the left atrium via the pulmonary vein
It passes through the atrioventricular valve into the left ventricle
The thicker muscle walls of the ventricle contract to push the blood forcefully into the aorta and all the
way around the body
The semilunar valve in the aorta prevents the blood from flowing back down into the heart
Page 6 of 13

Your notes
Heart activity can be monitored by using an ECG, measuring pulse rate or listening to the sounds of
valves closing using a stethoscope
Heart rate (and pulse rate) is measured in beats per minute (bpm)
Measuring pulse diagram
Pulse can be detected where an artery passes over a bone, such as the radial artery (in the wrist) and the
carotid artery (in the neck)
CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

A stethoscope can be used to listen for heartbeats in order to calculate pulse rate
Page 7 of 13
Your notes
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Many wearable devices, such as this fitness watch, can record pulse rate
To investigate the effects of exercise on heart rate, record the pulse rate at rest for a minute
Immediately after exercise, record the pulse rate every minute until it returns to the resting rate
This experiment will show that during exercise the heart rate increases and may take several minutes to
return to normal
Page 8 of 13

Your notes
It is relatively simple to investigate the effects of exercise on the body in the classroom
Breathing rate can be measured by counting the number of breaths per minute,
1 inhalation + 1 exhalation = 1 complete breath
Heart rate can be measured by taking a pulse
Either can be measured before and after an activity is performed and the results plotted on a bar chart
It is important that the time over which breathing rate and pulse rate are measured is consistent,
and that individuals fully recover (rest) before starting a new activity
Increased physical activity results in an increased heart rate and breathing rate
Heart rate remains high for a period of time after the physical activity has stopped, there is a
gradual return to the resting heart rate
Explaining the Effect of Physical Activity on the Heart Rate

So that sufficient blood is taken to the working muscles to provide them with enough nutrients and
oxygen for increased respiration
An increase in heart rate also allows for waste products to be removed at a faster rate
Following exercise, the heart continues to beat faster for a while to ensure that all excess waste
products are removed from muscle cells
It is also likely that muscle cells have been respiring anaerobically during exercise and so have built up
an oxygen debt
This needs to be ‘repaid’ following exercise so the heart continues to beat faster to ensure that extra
oxygen is still being delivered to muscle cells
The extra oxygen is used to break down the lactic acid that has been built up in cells as a result of
anaerobic respiration
Page 9 of 13

Your notes
The heart is made of muscle cells that need their own supply of blood to deliver oxygen, glucose and
other nutrients and remove carbon dioxide and other waste products
The blood is supplied by the coronary arteries
A coronary artery can become partially or completely blocked by fatty deposits called ‘plaques’
(mainly formed from saturated fat and cholesterol)
The coronary arteries lose elasticity, meaning they cannot stretch to accommodate the blood
which is being forced through them; this leads to coronary heart disease, or CHD
Partial blockage of the coronary arteries creates a restricted blood flow to the cardiac muscle cells
and results in severe chest pains called angina
Complete blockage means cells in that area of the heart will not be able to respire and can no longer
contract, leading to a heart attack
Page 10 of 13
Your notes
Plaque can build up in the coronary arteries, reducing the supply of blood to the heart muscle
The effect of CHD on the coronary arteries diagram
Page 11 of 13
Your notes
CHD can lead to a heart attack

Risk factors for CHD table
Factor Explanation
Page 12 of 13
Eating more saturated fat increases cholesterol levels, increasing the

Poor diet
chance of the buildup of fatty plaques.
Your notes
When under stress, hormones produced can increase blood pressure,
Stress
increasing the chance of a blockage in the coronary arteries.
Nicotine in cigarettes will cause blood vessels to become narrower,

Smoking increasing blood pressure which will cause the buildup of fat globules. If
this occurs in the coronary artery, this will cause coronary heart disease.
Studies show that people with a family history of coronary heart disease
Genetic
are more likely to develop it themselves, suggesting it partly has a genetic
predisposition
basis.
The risk of developing coronary heart disease increases as a person gets
Age
older.
Gender Males are more likely to develop coronary heart disease than females.
Diet, Exercise & Coronary Heart Disease

Reducing the risks of developing coronary heart disease
Quit smoking
Diet - reduce animal fats and eat more fruits and vegetables - this will reduce cholesterol levels in the
blood and help with weight loss if overweight
Exercise regularly - again, this will help with weight loss, decrease blood pressure and cholesterol
levels and help reduce stress
Page 13 of 13

11.2 The Heart

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Cambridge O Level Biology Your notes

11.2 The Heart

The Mammalian Heart

Identifying Structures in the Heart

The structure of the heart shows the different valves

The function of valves

Functioning of the Heart

Monitoring Activity of the Heart

CC BY-SA 4.0, via Wikimedia Commons

© Save My Exams (All rights reserved)

Investigating Effect of Physical Activity on Heart Rate

Explaining the Effect of Physical Activity on the Heart Rate

Coronary Heart Disease

CHD can lead to a heart attack

Eating more saturated fat increases cholesterol levels, increasing the

Nicotine in cigarettes will cause blood vessels to become narrower,

Diet, Exercise & Coronary Heart Disease

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