WASHINGTON, DC - JANUARY 20: U.S. President Donald Trump delivers his inaugural address on the West Front of the U.S. Capitol on January 20, 2017 in Washington, DC. In today's inauguration ceremony Donald J. Trump becomes the 45th president of the United States.
One-Way Valves in the Veins. One-way valves consist of two flaps (cusps or leaflets) with edges that meet. These valves help veins return blood to the heart. As blood moves toward the heart, it pushes the cusps open like a pair of one-way swinging doors (shown on the left).
Updated August 29, 2016. There are four heart valves in a healthy human heart. The valves help to maintain proper blood flow through the heart, keeping blood moving efficiently and smoothly, and in the right direction. In addition to the valves there are four heart chambers -- the upper chambers are called the left and right atrium, the lower chambers are the left and right ventricle. A healthy heart valve will stop blood from flowing out of a heart chamber until it is time for the heart to pump the blood to its next destination.