Heart
Your heart is an important part of your cardiovascular system, a network of blood vessels that pumps blood throughout your body. It also works with other body systems to control your heart rate and blood pressure. Your family history, personal health history and lifestyle all affect how your heart works.
What is the heart?
The heart is a fist-shaped organ that pumps blood throughout your body. It is the main organ of your circulatory system.
Your heart has four main chambers made up of muscles and moves by electrical impulses. Your brain and nervous system direct the work of your heart.
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What does the outline of the heart look like?
There are components inside and outside your heart that direct blood flow:
Inside the heart
Out of heart
Function
What is the function of the heart?
The primary function of your heart is to carry blood throughout your body. Your heart too:
Controls your heart rate and rhythm.
Maintains your blood pressure.
How does your heart work with other organs?
Your heart works with other body systems to control your heartbeat and other bodily functions. The basic systems are:
Nervous system: Your nervous system helps control your heartbeat. It sends signals to your heart to beat slowly during rest and fast during stress.
Endocrine System: Your endocrine system sends hormones. These hormones are said to narrow or relax your blood vessels, which affects your blood pressure. Hormones from your thyroid gland can also tell your heart to beat faster or slower.
Anatomy
Where is your heart
Your heart is in front of your chest. It sits slightly back and to the left of your sternum. Your ribs protect your heart.
Where is your heart
Your heart is a little on the left side of your body. It sits between your right and left lungs. The left lung is slightly smaller to make room for the heart in your left chest.
How big is your heart?
Everyone's heart is a little different in size. In general, the hearts of adults are about the same size as two closed fists, and the hearts of children are about the size of a fist.
How much does your heart weigh?
On average, an adult's heart weighs about 10 ounces. Your heart may weigh a little more or a little less depending on your body size and gender.
What are the parts of heart anatomy?
Parts of your heart are like parts of a home. In your heart is:
Walls
Chambers.
Valves (doors).
Blood vessels (plumbing).
Electrical transmission system (electricity).
The walls of the heart.
The walls of your heart are the muscles that contract and relax to send blood throughout your body. A layer of muscle tissue called the septum divides the walls of your heart to the left and right.
There are three layers to the walls of your heart:
Endocardium: inner layer.
Myocardium: The middle layer of muscle.
Epicardium: The protective outer layer.
The epicardium is a layer of your pericardium. The pericardium is a protective sac that covers your entire heart. It produces fluid to lubricate your heart and prevent it from rubbing against other organs.
Chambers of the heart
Your heart is divided into four chambers. Above you are two chambers (atrium, aggregate atria) and two below (ventricles), one on each side of the heart.
Right atrium: Two large veins carry oxygen-deprived blood to your right atrium. The superior vena cava carries blood from your upper body. The inferior vena cava carries blood from the lower part of the body. The right atrium then pumps blood to your right ventricle.
Right ventricle: The lower right chamber pumps oxygen deprived blood to your lungs through the pulmonary artery. The lungs reload the blood with oxygen.
Left atrium: After filling the lungs with oxygen, the pulmonary veins carry blood to the left atrium. This upper chamber pumps blood into your left ventricle.
Left ventricle: The left ventricle is slightly larger than the right. It pumps oxygen-rich blood to the rest of your body.
Heart valves
Your heart valves are like doors between the chambers of your heart. They open and close to allow blood to flow.
Atrioventricular (AV) valves open between the chambers of your upper and lower heart. These include:
Tricuspid valve: The door between your right atrium and the right ventricle.
Mitral valve: The door between your left atrium and the left ventricle.
Semilunar (SL) valves open when blood leaks from your ventricles. These include:
Aortic valve: When blood flows from your left ventricle to your aorta (the artery that carries oxygenated blood to your body).
Pulmonary valve: Opens when blood flows from your right ventricle to your pulmonary arteries (the only arteries that carry oxygen deficient blood to your lungs).
Blood vessels
Your heart pumps blood through three types of blood:
The arteries carry oxygen-rich blood from your heart to your body tissues. The exception is your pulmonary arteries, which go into your lungs.
The veins carry oxygen-deprived blood to your heart.
Capillaries are small blood vessels where your body exchanges oxygen-rich and oxygen-deprived blood.
Your heart receives nutrients through the coronary artery network. These arteries run along the surface of your heart. They serve the heart themselves.
Electronic transmission system
Your heart's transmission system is like a home's electrical wires. It controls the rhythm and speed of your heartbeat. These include:
Sinotrail (SA) node: Sends signals that increase your heart rate.
Atrioventricular (AV) node: conducts electrical signals from the upper chambers of your heart to its lower part.
You also have a network of electrical bundles and fibers in your heart. This network includes:
Left Bundle Branch: Sends electrical impulses to your left ventricle.
Right Bundle Branch: Sends electric impulses to your right ventricle.
Its bundle: sends movements from your AV node to Purkinje fibers.
Porcine fibers: Squeeze the ventricles of your heart and pump blood.
Conditions and disorders
What conditions and disorders affect the human heart?
Heart conditions are one of the most common types of disorders affecting people. In the United States, heart disease is the leading cause of death for people of all genders and most ethnic and racial groups.
Common situations that affect your heart include:
Atrial fibrillation (AFB): Irregular electrical stimulation in your atrium.
Arrhythmia: The heart beats very fast, very slow or with irregular rhythm.
Cardiomyopathy: Abnormally thickening, enlargement, or tightening of your heart muscle.
Heart failure: When your heart is too hard or too weak to pump blood throughout your body properly.
Coronary artery disease: plaque formation that narrows the coronary arteries.
Heart attack (myocardial infarction): A sudden blockage in a coronary artery that cuts off oxygen to the part of your heart muscle.
Pericarditis: Inflammation of the lining of your heart (pericardium).
take care of
How can I keep my heart healthy?
If you have a condition that affects your heart, follow your healthcare provider's treatment plan. It is important to take the prescribed medication.
You can also make lifestyle changes to keep your heart healthy. You can:
Gain and maintain a healthy weight according to your gender and age.
Drink moderate amounts of alcohol.
Eat a heart-healthy diet with plenty of fruits, vegetables and whole grains.
Exercise moderately for at least 150 minutes per week.
Limit your sodium intake.
Manage your stress with healthy strategies like meditation or journalism.
Quit smoking and / or using tobacco products and avoid second hand smoke.
Frequently Asked Questions
What should I ask my doctor about my heart?
You can ask your healthcare provider:
How does my family history affect my heart health?
What can I do to lower my blood pressure?
How does my cholesterol level affect my heart?
What are the symptoms of a heart attack?
What foods should I eat to prevent heart disease?
A note from the Cleveland Clinic
Your heart is the main organ of your circulatory system. It pumps blood throughout your body, regulates your heart rate and maintains blood pressure. Your heart is a little like home. It has walls, rooms, doors, plumbing and electrical systems. All parts of your heart work together to send blood and nutrients to your other organs. There are some common types of situations that affect your heart. Ask your healthcare provider how you can improve your heart health. (Exercise)
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