Blood from the periphery flows into which part of the heart first?

Blood from the periphery first returns to the heart through the systemic circulation and enters the right atrium. The right atrium is responsible for receiving deoxygenated blood from two major veins: the superior vena cava, which carries blood from the upper body, and the inferior vena cava, which carries blood from the lower body. Once the blood is in the right atrium, it moves through the tricuspid valve into the right ventricle, where it is then pumped to the lungs for oxygenation. Understanding this pathway is crucial for grasping how the circulatory system functions to deliver oxygen to the body and remove carbon dioxide.