The septum is a wall of tissue that divides the heart into distinct sections, playing a significant role in its overall function. This partition ensures the proper flow of blood throughout the cardiac chambers, which is fundamental for maintaining efficient circulation.
Locating the Septum Within the Heart
The human heart is a muscular organ divided into four chambers: two upper atria and two lower ventricles. This division runs down the center of the heart, extending from its base to its apex.
The septum consists of two primary parts, each separating different sets of chambers. The interatrial septum is a thin wall positioned between the two upper chambers, the right and left atria. This septum is typically thin in its central region, known as the fossa ovalis, but becomes thicker towards its upper and lower edges.
Below the atria, the interventricular septum forms a robust wall between the two lower chambers, the right and left ventricles. This part of the septum is significantly thicker and more muscular than the interatrial septum, reflecting the higher pressures generated by the ventricles. The interventricular septum also has two distinct parts: a larger, thicker muscular portion and a smaller, thinner membranous portion.
How the Septum Keeps Blood Flowing Right
The septum plays a central role in ensuring that blood flows efficiently and in the correct direction within the heart, preventing the mixing of oxygenated and deoxygenated blood. The right side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood returning from the body, while the left side receives oxygenated blood from the lungs.
Without this separation, oxygen-rich blood intended for the body’s tissues would mix with oxygen-poor blood. This mixing would reduce the overall oxygen content of the blood pumped to the body, significantly compromising the delivery of oxygen to organs and tissues. The interventricular septum, in particular, is essential for maintaining separate pulmonary and systemic circulatory systems. It directs deoxygenated blood from the right ventricle to the lungs and ensures that oxygenated blood from the left ventricle is pumped to the rest of the body.
The structural integrity of the septum is therefore fundamental for effective heart function. Its ability to keep blood streams separate allows the heart to pump oxygenated blood efficiently to meet the body’s metabolic demands. Any defects in the septum can disrupt this vital separation, impacting the heart’s ability to circulate blood effectively.