Read more about causes of Metastatic cancer. More information about causes of Metastatic cancer: 1  Metastatic cancer as a complication caused by other conditions. 2  Metastatic cancer as a symptom.
When your heart's left ventricle (one of the four chambers of the heart) pumps blood into the aorta (the largest artery in the body), the first muscle to receive the oxygen-rich blood is your heart itself. It receives this blood through the coronary arteries on the surface of the heart.
The atria and ventricles perform the pumping action, while the valves regulate blood flow. When the valves work properly, blood flows in only one direction. Both sides of the heart work together to ensure there is always an adequate supply of oxygen-rich blood available to the rest of the body. On the right side of the heart, oxygen-poor blood enters through the inferior and superior vena cava before emptying into the right atrium. The blood then travels from the right atrium through the tricuspid valve and into the right ventricle. Blood leaves the right side of the heart via the pulmonic valve and empties into the pulmonary artery. Oxygenated blood travels from the pulmonary vein to the left atrium. Then it flows through the mitral valve and into the left ventricle. Finally, it passes through the aortic valve and into the aorta.