Fossa Ovalis
Question 1: Where is the Heart located?
Answer:
The heart is located in the front of the chest. It is present slightly behind and to the left of the sternum (breastbone). The ribcage protects the heart.
Question 2: What is the function of the Fossa ovalis?
Answer:
During the development of the fetus, The blood passes from the right atrium to the left atrium through the foramen ovale, bypassing the non-functional fetal lungs as the fetus takes oxygen from the placenta.
Question 3: What causes a Patent Foramen Ovale?
Answer:
When the Fossa ovalis is not sealed completely, then such a condition is called Patent Foramen Ovale. It is normal until birth. The flap that closes the foramen ovale takes around 6 months to 1 year of time after the birth to do so.
Question 4: Who develops Patent Foramen Ovale?
Answer:
Every individual has them at birth, but later the depression usually closes. Patent Foramen Ovale is common and is found in every 1 out of 4 adults. It is more likely to be in newborns who have a congenital heart defect.
Question 5: What causes the foramen ovale to close after birth?
Answer:
After birth, oxygen-rich blood is already present in the left atrium. Due to this, it doesn’t need blood from the right atrium. That is why the foramen ovale normally closes soon after birth.
Fossa Ovalis
The heart is a muscular organ that circulates blood through the circulatory/vascular systems around the body. It assists in the distribution of oxygen to every region of the body. The heart is shaped like a quadrangular pyramid, with the anterior thoracic wall at its apex and the posterior thoracic wall at its base. It is split into two halves by a septum or partition. Four chambers are created by further dividing these sections. It is situated in the middle of the mediastinum and is surrounded by the pericardium, a two-layered sac filled with fluid. Electrical impulses generated by this muscle cause the heart to beat and pump blood throughout the body. The large blood vessels that branch out from the heart supply blood to the upper and lower limbs, thorax, and belly. The cardiovascular system of the body is made up of the heart and the circulatory system.
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