The newly oxygen-rich blood (shown in red) returns to the heart and enters the left atrium. Blood flows through the left atrium into the left ventricle. The left ventricle pumps the oxygen-rich ...

As your heart beats, it pumps blood from the left ventricle through the aortic valve and ... This narrowing obstructs blood flow from your heart into your aorta and out to the rest of your body.

Your surgeon will make an incision in your chest to access your heart and will use a machine to take over blood flow while your heart is temporarily stopped. In some cases, minimally invasive ...

Originally appeared on the NOVA Web site Cut to the Heart. Let's get straight to the heart of the matter—the heart's job is to move blood. Day and night, the muscles of your heart contract and ...