51 Must Know Facts About Heart (eBook)
Heart is one of the most iconic organs in our body. It is the hardest working muscle. It powers the entire circulatory system—constantly transporting oxygen, nutrients, waste, heat, hormones and immune cells throughout the body. For most of history, humans had no idea what purpose the heart served. Although everyone could feel their own heart beating, it wasn’t always clear what each thump was achieving. Now we know that the heart pumps blood, but that fact wasn’t always obvious because if our heart was exposed or taken out, the body would perish quickly.
It was only in the 21st century, that the people in the surgery teams actually saw a working heart. Healthcare experts advise people to care for the well-being of this life sustaining organ, since it is vulnerable to various physical and emotional factors. Researchers have presented various studies that have shown the functioning of this essential organ and the conditions that can disrupt that normality. ‘51 Must Know Facts about Heart’ sums up the entirety of various fascinating heart related aspects that are crucial to understand when our entire existence is dependent on this vital organ.
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FACT 1
The heart is about the size of its owner’s clenched fist. It sits in the middle of the chest, behind the breastbone and between the lungs, in a chamber that is protected all around by the rib cage.
FACT 2
The heart pumps blood throughout the body, carrying oxygen and nutrients to every cell. It is this circulation of blood that is vital to sustaining life.
FACT 3
The heart is made up of several tough layers of cardiac muscle that works involuntarily, so we don’t have to think about it.
FACT 4
The pericardium is the thin layer that covers the exterior, while the endocardium lines the inside walls.
FACT 5
The heart is divided into four chambers—two upper and two lower. The upper chambers known as atrium, receive blood coming into the heart. The lower chambers are the ventricles that pump blood out.
FACT 6
Between each chamber are valves that open and close. The valves—tricuspid, pulmonary, mitral and aortic, help keep the blood moving.
FACT 7
A pumping cycle starts when oxygen depleted blood returns to the heart after circulating throughout the body.
FACT 8
The blood enters through the right atrium, before flowing to the right ventricle. It’s then pumped to the lungs via the pulmonary arteries. There, blood is rejuvenated by air that is breathed in. The oxygen rich blood returns to the heart through the left atrium where it goes to the left ventricle. Then, by way of the aorta artery, the fresh blood is pumped throughout the body before the process repeats itself. That process happens with every heartbeat and it’s relentless.
FACT 9
The heart beats 100,000 times a day! 40 million times a year and up to 3 billion times over an average lifespan!
FACT 10
A woman’s average heartbeat is faster than a man’s by almost 8 beats a minute.
FACT 11
The heart pumps five liters of blood every minute.