The muscle of life

Everyone knows that the heart is a vital organ. We cannot live without our heart. However, when you get right down to it, the heart is just a pump. A complex and important one, yes, but still just a pump. As with all other pumps it can become clogged, break down and need repair. This is why it is critical that we know how the heart works, With a little knowledge about your heart and what is good or bad for it, you can significantly reduce your risk for heart disease.

Heart disease is the leading cause of death in the UK In 2000, 125,000 persons died of heart disease. Almost 400 Britons die of heart disease each day. The good news is that the death rate from heart disease has been steadily decreasing. Unfortunately, heart disease still causes sudden death and many people die before even reaching the hospital. This is one reason why it is important to get an ambulance to the scene quickly, a quick response can be life saving.

Anatomy of the Heart
The heart is a hollow, cone-shaped muscle located between the lungs and behind the sternum (breastbone). Two-thirds of the heart is located to the left of the midline of the body and 1/3 is to the right.

The heart has 3 layers. The smooth inside lining of the heart is called the endocardium. The middle layer of heart muscle is called the myocardium. It is surrounded by a fluid filled sac call the pericardium.

Each chamber has a sort of one-way valve at its exit that prevents blood from flowing backwards. When each chamber contracts the valve at its exit opens. When it is finished contracting the valve closes so that blood does not flow backwards.
;When the heart muscle contracts or beats (called systole) it pumps blood out of the heart; The heart contracts in two stages; In the first stage the Right and Left Atria contract at the same time, pumping blood to the Right and Left Ventricles; Then the Ventricles contract together to propel blood out of the heart; Then the heart muscle relaxes (called diastole) before the next heartbeat; This allows blood to fill up the heart again.
The right and left sides of the heart have separate functions. The right side of the heart collects oxygen-poor blood from the body and pumps it to the lungs where it picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide. The left side of the heart then collects oxygen rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body so that the cells throughout your body have the oxygen they need to function properly.

Coronary artery disease is caused by a blockage in one of the coronary arteries. When a coronary artery is partially blocked that artery cannot supply enough blood to the heart muscle to meet its needs during exertion. When someone with coronary artery disease exerts himself or herself, it causes chest pain. This is due to lack of blood and oxygen to that part of the heart muscle. This is called angina. If the angina worsens (more frequent angina episodes, with less exertion) a condition called unstable angina exists.
A worsening of the obstruction causes this. A heart attack occurs when a coronary artery is completely blocked and no blood or oxygen is getting to the heart muscle served by that artery. This also causes chest pain and causes death to the heart muscle served by that artery.
Interesting Heart Facts

How may times does you heart beat?
The average heartbeat is 72 times per minute. In the course of one day it beats over 100,000 times. In one year the heart beats almost 38 million times, and by the time you are 70 years old, on average, it beats 2.5 billion times!