The Heart
The heart itself is made up of four chambers. The left hand side of the heart (from the perspective of a person) receives oxygenated blood from the lungs and pumps it around the body through the arteries, whilst the right hand side of the heart receives deoxygenated blood from the body, through the veins, ready to be pumped back to the lungs so it can dispose of waste and receive more oxygen ready to return to the heart and start its journey all over again.
The Heartbeat An adult’s heart beats on average between 60-80 beats per minute whilst at rest and remember it needs to do this for your entire life! Each heartbeat starts and is controlled by electrical impulses from the S A Node (Sino Atrial Node) that sits near the top of the heart muscle. It is these electrical impulses which make the heart contract so that it can pump blood around the body. This can be felt as your pulse in various parts of your body. If the heart is working properly these pulses or heart beats are regular and controlled.
3.2 Heart Problems
Now that we understand the purpose of the heart and how it works, as first aiders, we have to consider what might go wrong! 5% of the blood the heart pumps around the body goes back to itself to ensure it works properly and stays healthy. Don’t forget it is a muscle and needs oxygenated blood as well!
It does this using the coronary arteries. Clearly if there is a problem with the coronary arteries, the heart itself will not receive enough blood and the heart will not be able to work properly.
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