Video: Tricuspid valve

Hello again, everyone. This is Matt from Kenhub! And in this tutorial, we will specifically explore the anatomy, function, and area of the tricuspid valve.

The valves of the heart serve the cardiovascular system by controlling the direction of the blood flow during circulation and determining the exact moment in which the blood passes between the chambers of the heart as well as in and out of it entirely.

The tricuspid valve, also known as the right atrioventricular valve, is one of two atrioventricular valves. As its name suggests, it has three separate cusps. It sits between the right atrium and right ventricle, functioning to prevent the backflow of atrial blood accumulation when it passes on to the ventricle.

The atrioventricular valves attach to the ventricular walls via the chordae tendineae which in turn attach to the papillary muscles so that the cusps are held tense and don’t invert into the atria. This extended attachment of the chordae tendineae and the papillary muscles is known as the subvalvular apparatus.

The tricuspid valve has three cusps each named for their location: an anterior, a posterior, and a septal cusp.

The valves of the heart control the blood flow in and out of the heart. Specifically, the atrioventricular valves function to prevent the backflow of blood from the ventricles to the atria during cardiac systole.

Opening and closing of the valves is governed by gradient pressure across the valves themselves. And the first heart sound can be heard when the atrioventricular valve close. When you hear the classic “lub-dub” sound the heart makes, the tricuspid valve is contributing to the “lub” sound.