Heart - front view

The external structures of the heart include the ventricles, atria, arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart while veins carry blood into the heart. The vessels colored blue indicate the transport of blood with relatively low content of oxygen and high content of carbon dioxide. The vessels colored red indicate the transport of blood with relatively high content of oxygen and low content of carbon dioxide.

Review Date: 2/3/2025
Reviewed By: Scott I. Aydin, MD, Assistant Professor of Pediatrics, Ichan School of Medicine, Division of Pediatric Cardiology and Critical Care Medicine, Kravis Children's Hospital at Mount Sinai New York, NY. Review provided by VeriMed Healthcare Network. Also reviewed by David C. Dugdale, MD, Medical Director, Brenda Conaway, Editorial Director, and the A.D.A.M. Editorial team.

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