The left atrium is one of the main chambers
of the heart. It is the upper chamber located on the left-hand
side of the
body (see the diagram on the right).
The muscular walls of the atria of the heart (LA and RA) are
thinner than those of the ventricles (LV and RV).
A wrinkled pouch-like structure called an auricle (because it's visual
apperance resembles a dog's ear) is attached to the anterior surface
of each atrium. The purpose of this structure is to increase the capacity
of the atrium, and so increase the volume of blood that it is able to
contain.
The left atrium receives oxygenated blood from
the lungs via the pulmony vein and pumps it into the left
ventricle (via the bicuspid
valve).
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