From the left atrium, the blood will flow through another one-way valve that has 3 names.  First, the left atrioventricular valve because it is found on the left hand side between the left atrium and the left ventricle.  Sometimes, the right and left atrioventricular valves are collectively referred to as the AV valves.  The second name for this valve is the mitral valve.  It received this name because the first anatomists were priests and monks in the Catholic Church and this valve reminded them of a miter's hat.  The third name is the bicuspid valve because the valve has two cusps.

There are a number of ways to remember that the bicuspid valve is on the left hand side.  First, you learn to ride a tricycle (tricuspid valve) before you ride a bicycle (bicuspid valve).  I use the miter's hat as a way to remember the bicuspid valve.  You see the left ventricle is the cardinal chamber of the heart.  Cardinal the adjective gets its meaning from the noun;  not the bird or the baseball team, but the position in the Catholic Church.  A cardinal is a very important person in the church and the adjective means very important.  The left ventricle is the cardinal chamber of the heart because it is responsible for pumping blood to the rest of the body i.e. systemic circulation.  As a result, the myocardium of the left ventricle is thickest in this chamber - significantly thicker than any other chamber.  In addition, a cardinal wears red robes.  Oxygenated blood is represented by red and the left ventricle receives and pumps oxygenated blood to the tissues.

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