Heart, Section Through the Middle

The interior of the heart is composed of valves, chambers, and associated vessels.

Heart, Front View

The external structures of the heart include the ventricles, atria, arteries and veins. Arteries carry blood away from the heart while veins carry blood into the heart. The vessels colored blue indicate the transport of blood with relatively low content of oxygen and high content of carbon dioxide. The vessels colored red indicate the transport of blood with relatively high content of oxygen and low content of carbon dioxide.

Infective Endocarditis

Infectious endocarditis involves the heart valves and is most commonly found in people who have underlying heart disease. Sources of the infection may be transient bacteremia, which is common during dental, upper respiratory, urologic, and lower gastrointestinal diagnostic and surgical procedures. The infection can cause growths on the heart valves, the lining of the heart, or the lining of the blood vessels. These growths may be dislodged and send clots to the brain, lungs, kidneys, or spleen.

Janeway Lesion on the Finger

Janeway lesions are seen in people with acute bacterial endocarditis. They appear as flat, painless, red to bluish-red spots on the palms and soles.