The heart is composed of four chambers, four valves, and various vessels to conduct blood into and out of the heart. There are two "receiving chambers" called atria (plural for atrium), and two pumping chambers called ventricles. The heart is divided into left and right halves by the septum, a muscular wall in the center. Each half of the heart is made up of one atrium and one ventricle. On the left side of the the heart, blood enters the left atrium, passes through the mitral valve into the left ventricle, and leaves the heart through the aorta. A similar pattern occurs on the right side of the heart.
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