A birth defect called transposition of great vessels results in the pulmonary trunk emanating from the left ventricle and the aorta stemming from the right ventricle.

a. Which ventricle is thicker-walled, and why?

Video transcript

Hi, everyone. Let's take a look at this practice problem together. The thicker wall of the left ventricle allows it to. The answer. Options are a hold a larger volume of blood B absorb nutrients more efficiently c faster communication with organs and d generate a high pressure. So recall that the left ventricle pumps blood out of the heart to systemic circulation. When compared to the right ventricle, the left ventricle has a thicker muscular wall and appears circular in a cross sectional view on the screen. I am putting up a drawing that shows that cross sectional view of the ventricles. The left ventricle has that thicker muscular wall and it appears round the right ventricle has a thinner muscular wall and it looks more like a pouch. So why is that wall of the left ventricle thicker? Let's take a look at the answer options. A to hold a larger volume of blood. This is incorrect. Both ventricles carry the same amount of blood despite their shape and wall thickness differences. Option B to absorb nutrients more efficiently, nutrients are not absorbed by the heart. So option B is also incorrect. Option C faster communication with other organs, communication with other cells, tissues and organs is a function of the nervous system, not of the heart. So we can eliminate option C as well. The correct answer is to generate a high pressure recall that again, that the left ventricle pumps blood to systemic circulation and that is so that blood can be delivered to all parts of the body. However, the right ventricle only pumps blood to the lungs which are nearby and close to the heart. The thicker muscular walnut left ventricle generates more pressure to effectively pump blood to the systemic circulation. So the correct answer is option d generate a high pressure. All right, everyone. I hope you found this helpful and I'll see you soon for the next practice problem.