The Human Heart is one of the most important organs in the entire human body. The heart is a muscular organ that acts like a pump to continuously send blood through the body. The heart beats approximately about seventy-two times per minute of our lives. Without the heart’s pumping action, blood can’t circulate within the human body. The heart is enclosed in a double walled sac called the Pericardium. The pericardium has outer and inner coats. The outer coat is tough and thickened, loosely cloaks the heart, and is attached to the central part of the diaphragm and the back of the sternum (breastbone).
The inner coat is double with one layer closely adherent to the heart while the other lines the inner surface of the outer coat with the intervening space being filled with fluid. There is a superficial part of the sac and is called the Fibrous Pericardium. It protects the heart and anchors its surrounding structures, and prevents overfilling of the heart with blood. The hearts outer wall of the human heart is composed of three layers. The first outer layer is called the epicardium, which may also be called visceral pericardium.
The epicardium, the inner layer of the pericardium, a conical sac of fibrous tissue that surrounds the heart and the roots of the great blood vessels. The heart has a middle layer called the myocardium and is composed of the muscle which contracts. In the inner layer which is also called endocardium tends to keep in contact with the blood the heart pumps. It merges with the inner lining endothelium of blood vessels and covers heart valves. 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 has four types of valves that regulate blood flow through the 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, where it is delivered to the rest of your body. Electrical impulses from the 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 heart and circulatory system make up your cardiovascular system.
The 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. Even though, the human heart is a very important organ it is very important to take good care of it many sickness can occur if certain precautions are not involved.
One of the most common diseases is called congestive heart failure; this is when the heart loses its ability to pump blood efficiently through your body. Oxygen and nutrients in blood provide your body with the energy it needs to operate normally. Heart failure develops in about one of one hundred people. This disorder is likely to become more common if people are exposed to smoking or suffer from high blood pressure or follow a high fat diet. Another major symptom that can put a person life in danger is a heart attack; they tend to occur as a result of a condition called Coronary artery disease.
Oxygen is carried to the heart by flood flowing through the arteries that feed the muscle called coronary arteries. The majority of the heart attacks are caused by a blockage in these arteries. The blockage is cause by Atherosclerosis, which is the buildup of fatty deposits called plaque inside the artery and will cause the artery walls to harden. This buildup tend to be like a gunk that buildups a drainpipe and slow the flow of water. If the heart ever ceases to pump blood the body begins to shut down and after a very short period of time it will die.
It is very crucial to try to live a healthy life. It is important to eat healthy, exercise and be vigilant when it comes to the person’s health. Look at your body as like that of a car and your heart is the engine. If you keep on driving, then there is a possibility your engine will over-heat. You try to put the right oil and fuel to fully-regulate the function and capacity of your car to keep on traveling, but that will not help unless you park somewhere and let the engine rest.