👤 By the CinnaEntry Content Team🕐 Updated 2026-09-07🏷️ HESI Anatomy & Physiology🔖 Free to read, print, and share
Also known as: blood flow · pulmonary circuit · systemic circuit · right atrium · left ventricle
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Use this one-page guide to lock in Circulation — the Full Circuit for the ATI TEAS 7 and HESI A2. Keep it handy during review and on exam day.
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📒 The 1-minute cheat sheet
📌 The Lap, In Order
Body → vena cava → RIGHT atrium
Tricuspid valve → RIGHT ventricle
Pulmonic valve → lungs (picks up O₂)
Pulmonary veins → LEFT atrium
Mitral valve → LEFT ventricle
Aortic valve → aorta → body
📌 Valve Order
TRI · PULM · MI · AO
Tricuspid, Pulmonic, Mitral, Aortic
The two AV valves (tricuspid, mitral) sit between atrium and ventricle
✅ Which Side Does What
RIGHT = oxygen-POOR blood → to the lungs (pulmonary circuit)
LEFT = oxygen-RICH blood → to the body (systemic circuit)
Left ventricle is thickest — highest pressure, not most blood
📌 The Two Exceptions
Pulmonary ARTERY carries oxygen-POOR blood
Pulmonary VEINS carry oxygen-RICH blood
📚 Circulation — the Full Circuit — full study notes
The cheat sheet above is your quick recall card. These notes go deeper — what it is, what to do first, what must be reported, and what to teach.
More A&P questions come from the path of blood than from any other single topic, because one diagram supports a dozen different questions: chamber order, valve order, which vessel carries what, and why the left ventricle is built the way it is. Learn the lap once and you answer all of them.
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Key points
Understand these first
The lap: body → right atrium → tricuspid → right ventricle → pulmonic valve → LUNGS → left atrium → mitral valve → left ventricle → aortic valve → body.
The RIGHT side handles oxygen-poor blood and serves the PULMONARY circuit (heart → lungs).
The LEFT side handles oxygen-rich blood and serves the SYSTEMIC circuit (heart → whole body).
The pulmonary ARTERY carries oxygen-poor blood and the pulmonary VEINS carry oxygen-rich blood — the only exceptions to the usual artery/vein rule.
The left ventricle is the thickest chamber because the systemic circuit has the highest resistance, not because it holds more blood.
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Study first
Where to start
Trace a drop of blood from a stubbed toe and back: toe → vein → vena cava → RA → RV → pulmonary artery → lungs → pulmonary veins → LA → LV → aorta → artery → toe.
Ask which valve a drop crosses immediately after the right atrium: the tricuspid, because valves sit between each chamber and what follows it.
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Red flags — report now
Escalate immediately
Saying 'arteries always carry oxygenated blood' — the pulmonary artery breaks that rule every time.
Reversing tricuspid and mitral. The tricuspid is on the RIGHT; think 'tri before bi, right before left'.
Assuming the thicker left ventricle holds more blood; both ventricles eject the same volume per beat.
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Commonly tested
What comes up most
Say the lap out loud until it is automatic. Recitation beats re-reading for a sequence.
Draw the loop from memory on blank paper and label the four valves. If you can draw it, you can answer any variation of the question.
❓ Circulation — the Full Circuit: TEAS & HESI FAQs
What should I focus on first when studying Circulation — the Full Circuit?
Trace a drop of blood from a stubbed toe and back: toe → vein → vena cava → RA → RV → pulmonary artery → lungs → pulmonary veins → LA → LV → aorta → artery → toe. Ask which valve a drop crosses immediately after the right atrium: the tricuspid, because valves sit between each chamber and what follows it.
What are the warning signs of Circulation — the Full Circuit a nurse must report?
Saying 'arteries always carry oxygenated blood' — the pulmonary artery breaks that rule every time. Reversing tricuspid and mitral. The tricuspid is on the RIGHT; think 'tri before bi, right before left'. Assuming the thicker left ventricle holds more blood; both ventricles eject the same volume per beat.
What do I need to know about Circulation — the Full Circuit for the TEAS or HESI?
The lap: body → right atrium → tricuspid → right ventricle → pulmonic valve → LUNGS → left atrium → mitral valve → left ventricle → aortic valve → body. The RIGHT side handles oxygen-poor blood and serves the PULMONARY circuit (heart → lungs). The LEFT side handles oxygen-rich blood and serves the SYSTEMIC circuit (heart → whole body). The pulmonary ARTERY carries oxygen-poor blood and the pulmonary VEINS carry oxygen-rich blood — the only exceptions to the usual artery/vein rule.
What are the most commonly tested points on Circulation — the Full Circuit?
Say the lap out loud until it is automatic. Recitation beats re-reading for a sequence. Draw the loop from memory on blank paper and label the four valves. If you can draw it, you can answer any variation of the question.
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Quick Tip
The lap: body → right atrium → tricuspid → right ventricle → pulmonic valve → LUNGS → left atrium → mitral valve → left ventricle → aortic valve → body.