how does blood get oxygenated in the heart?

Question

the right atrium recieves de-oxygenated blood, the left atrium recieves oxygenated. How does the blood recieve the oxygen?

Answer 1

It doesn't get oxygenated in the heart. The heart pumps it to the lungs. That's where the blood get oxygenated.

So,
deoxygenated blood =>heart, through veins
deoxygenated blood=>lungs, through arteries
simple diffusion in lungs, blood now has high oxygen concentration
oxygenated blood=>heart, through veins
oxygenated blood=>rest of body, through arteries

-- H

Answer 2

Im not a biologist but when I was at school I was told blood recieves its oxygen through the lungs and then passes it around the body and to the heart. I assume that the oxygenated blood comes straight from the lungs and the de-oxygenated blood has been around the body before getting to the heart.
So, in answer to your question..the oxygen comes from the lungs :)
hope its of some help.

Answer 3

It doesn't, as so noted by everybody so far. The blood gets oxygenated in the Alveoli of the lungs, on inhalation. The blood gases pass across the alveoli cell walls whereby oxygen enter the blood and attaches to the hemoglobin and CO2 detaches from the hemoglobin and enters the lungs. This is all done where a high concentration flows across the cell wall to a lower concentration. Everybody else focused on the heart so I though I would focus on the lungs and let you combine the answers too get the complete answer.

Answer 4

Blood does NOT get oxygenated in the heart. Oxygenation happens in the lungs, where oxygen from the air we breathe in moves into the blood and carbon dioxide (waste) from the blood moves into the air we breathe out. From the lungs, oxygenated blood flows into the left atrium... and I'm guessing you know the rest of the story.

Answer 5

It doesn't. The right atrium receives de-oxygenated blood and pushes it toward the lungs, where it gets oxygenated and pulled back to the left atrium and pushed out towards the rest of the body.

Answer 6

From the right atrium the blood goes to the lungs and get oxygenated to return back to the left atrium of the heart.

Answer 7

that's a misconception there. the lungs oxygenate the blood - not the heart.

deoxygenated blood travels into the right atrium via the superior and inferior vena cava and then moves into the right ventricle during atrial systole (contraction).

during ventricular systole, the blood is pumped into the lungs via the pulmonary arteries. there gaseous exchange occurs in the alveolar capillaries and carbon dioxide is removed and oxygen diffuses into the blood and combines with the haemoglobin in red blood cells.

the oxygenated blood then travels back into the left atrium via the pulmonary veins during atrial diastole (relaxation).

Answer 8

It gets oxygen as it passes through the lungs.

Answer 9

it receives it in the lungs and the oxygen binds to the red blood cells and carries it to the heart and other organs.

hemoglobins

Answer 10

This is a subject matter in which Gas exchange needs to be explained.

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Preliminary Stuff you need to understand the answer
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Without going into Ventilation Mechanics (How Lungs breath in air) or Functional Anatomy of the Lungs (Names of every detailed part that functions) i will simply describe what happens the physiology of how blood gets oxygenated.

1. Blood does not get oxygenated in the heart. The heart is simply a pump which well... pumps blood to the body (Systole) and receives from the body (systemic circulation) during relaxation (Systole) and around the lungs and receives it from the lungs (pulmonary circulation).

2. In lungs something called "Gas Transport & Exchange" takes place. I will only talk about Gas Exchange.


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The Actual Answer
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Gas Exchange

Gas exchange of Oxygen (O2) and Carbon Dioxide (CO2) is only due to partial pressure gradients (differences in the # of molecules of O2 and CO2) in both:

1. ALVEOLI (Plural for "alveolus" sacs that are the deepest part of the lung that are hollow) - Where the MAIN GAS EXCHANGE takes place in your body regarding O2 and CO2.

2. BLOOD CAPILLARY - which has both deoxygenated blood (before passing alveoli) and oxygenated (after passing alveoli).


When there is a difference in partial pressures across a permeable membrane (in this case the wall of the alveoli and the capillary) diffusion of O2 and CO2 occurs. This occurs due to unequal pressures of the both CO2 and O2 in the Avelio and both CO2 and O2 in the capillary. Diffusion occurs from highest to lowest pressure.

When you breath in....

1. Air from outside reaches the deepest of your lungs in the alveoli. (Inspired Air) = I

2. Since you breathed in, it must be either involuntary (automatic trigger by brain) or you must be out of breath (Interestingly, TOO MUCH CO2 in your blood tells the brain to take a deep breath, NOT the lack of oxygen, so you can hyperventilate for a few minutes and hold your breath longer than you would by not hyperventilating)

3. Air reaches the hollow Alveoli.

4. The air contains, most likely, more oxygen than that is currently in your blood since tissues of your body use up oxgen in the blood all the time.

5. There is capillary with blood running past the alveloi.

6. Now, Blood in the capillary is both OXYGENATED and DE-OXYGENATED. How you say?

7. Before the blood reaches 1 alveolus it is “venous” blood, therefore deoxygenated = Pressure O2 < Pressure of CO2

8. When blood pass the Alvelous, O2 molecules from the alveolus enter the blood and attach on to Hb (protein on blood molecules) while CO2 detaches from Hb and goes to the Alvelous and is breathed out when you breath out.

9. This is all down through a very thin wall, there is no “hole”

10. The blood that now has passed the alveolus is called “arterial” blood and is oxygenated.

11. This oxygenated blood flows OUT of the lung’s BLOOD supply TO the Left Atrium -> Left Ventricle to the Heart.

Just a note that O2 pressure tends to remain a constant 104 in the alveoli and CO2 40. This is so you have a "buffer" i.e when holding your breath.

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Extra Info + Clearification
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- The diffusion layer between the capillary and the alveolus can become diseased or thicker like in smoking. Since CO2 is WAY more soluable than O2, O2 does not diffuse as much across this membrane. Therefore your body always has an excess of CO2 and never enough of O2.

-Not all areas of the lungs can "fetch" the same amount of oxygen. i.e the Apex of the lung.

-Time is a factor when diffusing O2 and CO2. As blood flows past the alveoli O2 is too SLOW at diffusing for the CO2 and O2 to equilibrate at both the lung and blood side. this is a GOOD thing since there will always be more O2 RELATIVE to CO2 in a NORMAL person's system.

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Summery
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Air goes in your lungs reaches the alveoli, O2 and CO2 trade places from the alveoli to capillary for O2 and capillary to alveoli for CO2, blood is now oxygenated, it goes to left atrium->left ventricle->aortic arch->aorta->body. Air that is contained CO2 due to this, is breathed out.

Hope this helps.