What is Heart ?

Heart

The heart is a muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body. It's the main organ of the circulatory system

Blood in heart

The blood pumped by your heart provides your body with the oxygen and nutrients it needs to function

Function of Heart

Blood Pressure

Maintains your blood pressure

Nervous System

Your nervous system helps control your heart rate. It sends signals that tell your heart to beat slower during rest and faster during stress.

Heart Rate

Controls the rhythm and speed of your heart rate

Endocrine System

Your endocrine system sends out hormones. These hormones tell your blood vessels to constrict or relax, which affects your blood pressure. Hormones from your thyroid gland can also tell your heart to beat faster or slower.

What are the parts of the heart?

The parts of our heart are like the parts of a building. Our heart anatomy includes:

Heart walls

Our heart walls have three layers:

Endocardium

Inner layer

Myocardium

Muscular middle layer

Epicardium

Protective outer layer

Heart chambers

Our heart has four separate chambers. We have two chambers on the top (atrium, plural atria) and two on the bottom (ventricles)

Right atrium

Two large veins deliver oxygen-poor blood to your right atrium

Right ventricle

The lower right chamber pumps the oxygen-poor blood to your lungs

Left atrium

The pulmonary veins carry the blood to the left atrium

Left ventricle

The left ventricle is slightly larger than the right

Heart valve

Our heart valves are like doors. They open and close to allow blood to flow through. They also keep your blood from moving in the wrong direction.

Atrioventricular valves

The atrioventricular (AV) valves open between your upper and lower heart chambers. They include:

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Tricuspid valve

Door between your right atrium and right ventricle

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Mitral valve

Door between your left atrium and left ventricle

Semilunar valves

Semilunar (SL) valves open when blood flows out of your ventricles. They include:

Aortic valve

Opens when blood flows out of your left ventricle to your aorta (artery that carries oxygen-rich blood to your body)

Pulmonary valve

Opens when blood flows from your right ventricle to your pulmonary arteries (the only arteries that carry oxygen-poor blood to your lungs)

Blood vessels

Your heart pumps blood through three types of blood vessels

Arteries

Veins

Capillaries

Where our heart located?

Our heart is in the front of our chest. It sits slightly behind and to the left of your sternum (breastbone), which is in the middle of your chest.

Our heart is slightly on the left side of our body. It sits between our right and left lungs. The left lung is slightly smaller to make our left chest. Your rib cage protects our heart.

What does our heart look like?

Our heart looks a little bit like an upside-down pyramid with rounded edges. Large blood vessels go into and out of our heart to bring blood into and away from our heart. They connect our heart to the rest of our body, which it supplies with blood and oxygen.

Symptoms

A heart attack occurs when an artery that supplies blood to the heart is blocked. Symptoms can include:

Coughing

Chest pain

Pain other body

Shortness of breath

Dizziness

Sweating

Feeling sick

Anxiety

Conditions

Heart conditions are among the most common types of disorders. Common conditions that affect your heart include

Arrhythmia

A heartbeat that’s too fast, too slow or beats with an irregular rhythm.

Cardiomyopathy

Unusual thickening, enlargement or stiffening of your heart muscle.

Congestive heart failure

Your heart is too stiff or too weak to properly pump blood throughout your body.

Coronary artery disease

Plaque buildup that leads to narrow coronary arteries.

Diabetes

Your blood sugar is higher than it should be.

Heart attack (myocardial infarction)

A sudden coronary artery blockage that cuts off oxygen to part of your heart muscle.

Heart valve disease

A valve in your heart isn’t working right.

High blood pressure

Your blood is pushing too hard against your artery walls.

High cholesterol

Your blood has too many fats in it.

Pericarditis

Inflammation in your heart’s lining (pericardium)

Tests Checkup

Tests to check your heart health include:

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Blood Pressure Measurement

A test that measures the force of blood flowing through your arteries when your heart beats

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Electrocardiogram (EKG)

A simple, painless test that measures the electrical activity of your heart

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Chest X-ray

Chest X-rays produce images of your heart, lungs, blood vessels, airways, and the bones of the chest and spine

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Echocardiogram

A noninvasive ultrasound scan that uses sound waves to create pictures of the heart

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Blood Tests

A lab analysis of a small sample of your blood

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Cardiac Catheterization

A test or treatment for certain heart or blood vessel problems, such as clogged arteries or irregular heartbeats

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Computed Tomography (CT)

A noninvasive imaging procedure that uses X-rays to create detailed pictures of the inside of the body

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Heart MRI

A magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) technology used for non-invasive assessment of the function and structure of the cardiovascular system

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Stress Test

A heart stress test is a method for evaluating heart function and blood flow. It involves exercising or taking medications that simulate the effects of exercise

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Thallium Scan

A small amount of thallium (radioactive substance) is injected into a vein, and a special camera moves around your heart.