The heart is the center of the circulatory system. This pear-shaped organ, slightly larger than a clenched fist, is very powerful. It receives oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it throughout the body at a rate of more than four quarts a minute.
Bless Your Heart! The heart is truly a miraculous part of the body. Did you know...
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The heart of a average adult weighs between 8 and 12 ounces. |
It beats an average of 72 times a minute. |
During the average lifespan of 70 years, it will beat two and a half billion times and pump a total of more than 35 million gallons of blood. |
There are three vital components to the heart, the pumps, electrical system and arteries. The heart muscle is a series of pumps. The heart pumps blood through each of the four chambers. The upper chambers are called atria and the bottom chambers are called ventricles. The chambers are separated by four heart valves that act like one-way doors to allow blood to move forward but not backward.
The heart also has an electrical system that generates each beat. The sinus node located near the top of the heart begins the electrical impulses that make the heart pump. These impulses are then carried through the atria and down through the ventricles. The heart responds to the stimulus, contracts, and pumps blood through the body. A normal heart beat is around 60-100 beats per minute.
The arteries ensure that the heart is constantly receiving a healthy blood supply. The main coronary arteries that supply blood to the heart muscle are: the left main coronary artery, which includes the left anterior descending artery and the circumflex artery; and the right coronary artery. |
