THE HEART

The heart is a muscular organ in humans and other animals, which pumps blood through the
blood vessels of the circulatory system. Blood provides the body with oxygen and nutrients,
as well as assists in the removal of metabolic wastes. In humans, the heart is located
between the lungs, in the middle compartment of the chest.

In humans, other mammals, and birds, the heart is divided into four chambers: upper left
and right atria; and lower left and right ventricles. Commonly the right atrium and ventricle
are referred together as the right heart and their left counterparts as the left heart. Fish, in
contrast, have two chambers, an atrium and a ventricle, while reptiles have three chambers.
In a healthy heart blood flows one way through the heart due to heart valves, which prevent
backflow. The heart is enclosed in a protective sac, the pericardium, which also contains a
small amount of fluid. The wall of the heart is made up of three layers: epicardium,
myocardium, and endocardium.

The heart pumps blood with a rhythm determined by a group of pacemaking cells in the
sinoatrial node. These generate a current that causes contraction of the heart, traveling
through the atrioventricular node and along the conduction system of the heart. The heart
receives blood low in oxygen from the systemic circulation, which enters the right atrium
from the superior and inferior venae cavae and passes to the right ventricle. From here it is
pumped into the pulmonary circulation, through the lungs where it receives oxygen and
gives off carbon dioxide. Oxygenated blood then returns to the left atrium, passes through
the left ventricle and is pumped out through the aorta to the systemic circulationwhere the
oxygen is used and metabolized to carbon dioxide.The heart beats at a resting rate close to
72 beats per minute. Exercise temporarily increases the rate, but lowers resting heart rate in
the long term, and is good for heart health.
 Heart
Anatomy

The heart weighs between 7 and 15 ounces (200 to 425 grams) and is a little larger than the size of
your fist. By the end of a long life, a person's heart may have beat (expanded and contracted) more
than 3.5 billion times. In fact, each day, the average heart beats 100,000 times, pumping about
2,000 gallons (7,571 liters) of blood.

Your heart is located between your lungs in the middle of your chest, behind and slightly to the left
of your breastbone (sternum). A double-layered membrane called the pericardium surrounds your
heart like a sac. The outer layer of the pericardium surrounds the roots of your heart's major blood
vessels and is attached by ligaments to your spinal column, diaphragm, and other parts of your
body. The inner layer of the pericardium is attached to the heart muscle. A coating of fluid
separates the two layers of membrane, letting the heart move as it beats.

Your heart has 4 chambers. The upper chambers are called the left and right atria, and the lower
chambers are called the left and right ventricles. A wall of muscle called the septum separates the
left and right atria and the left and right ventricles. The left ventricle is the largest and strongest
chamber in your heart. The left ventricle's chamber walls are only about a half-inch thick, but they
have enough force to push blood through the aortic valve and into your body.

The Heart Valves (illustration)

Four valves regulate blood flow through your heart:

The tricuspid valve regulates blood flow between the right atrium and right ventricle.
 The pulmonary valve controls blood flow from the right ventricle into the pulmonary
arteries, which carry blood to your lungs to pick up oxygen.

The mitral valve lets oxygen-rich blood from your lungs pass from the left atrium into the
left ventricle.

The aortic valve opens the way for oxygen-rich blood to pass from the left ventricle into
the aorta, your body's largest artery.

See also on this site: The Heartbeat

The Conduction System (illustration)

Electrical impulses from your heart muscle (the myocardium) cause your heart to contract. This
electrical signal begins in the sinoatrial (SA) node, located at the top of the right atrium. The SA
node is sometimes called the heart's "natural pacemaker." An electrical impulse from this natural
pacemaker travels through the muscle fibers of the atria and ventricles, causing them to contract.
Although the SA node sends electrical impulses at a certain rate, your heart rate may still change
depending on physical demands, stress, or hormonal factors.

The Circulatory System (illustration)

The heart and circulatory system make up your cardiovascular system. Your heart works as a pump
that pushes blood to the organs, tissues, and cells of your body. Blood delivers oxygen and
nutrients to every cell and removes the carbon dioxide and waste products made by those cells.
Blood is carried from your heart to the rest of your body through a complex network of arteries,
arterioles, and capillaries. Blood is returned to your heart through venules and veins. If all the
vessels of this network in your body were laid end-to-end, they would extend for about 60,000
miles (more than 96,500 kilometers), which is far enough to circle the earth more than twice!