Fun Fact 2: The heart pumps blood from veins into arteries; the heart, veins and arteries make up bodily system called the circulatory system
Fun Fact 3: Where is the heart located in the human body? It is situated to the left of the middle of the chest
Fun Fact 4: How big is the human heart? The average heart size is about the size of a fist measuring around 12 cm long, 9 cm wide and 6 cm thick
Fun Fact 5: What does the heart do? The function of the heart is to pump blood to provide the whole body with oxygen and nutrients
Fun Fact 6: What are the main parts of the heart? The main parts of the heart consist of: the Aorta, the left ventricle and left atrium, and the right ventricle and right atrium
Fun Fact 7: The heart is divided into two parts, left and right and each side contains two chambers called ventricle (upper chamber) and atrium (lower chamber)
Fun Fact 8: The word “atrium” means entrance hall in Latin and the word “ventricle” means “little belly”
Fun Fact 9: The right side of the heart receives blood from the body in the upper chamber, the blood flows to the lower chamber before it is pumped out of the heart to the lungs. The left side receives blood back from the lungs in the upper chamber, the blood flows to the lower chamber before it is pumped back to the body
Fun Fact 10: You can feel your heart beat in the side of your wrist and to the side of your throat. The feel of your heart beat is called your pulse. Average pulse rates are 75-110 bpm (beats per minute) for a 7-12 year old and 75-100 bpm for ages 12 and above
Fun Fact 11: Why does my heart sometimes beat faster? If you are excited or exercise your heart beats faster, this is because your heart needs to works harder and faster to get more oxygen to your muscles to help them to work effectively
Fun Fact 12: What is the difference between an artery and a vein? Arteries carry the blood away from the heart and veins carry the blood back to the heart. An easy way to remember the difference is arteries begin with an 'A' for 'away'. Veins begin with a V if you put your fingers into a V shape they point towards your heart
Fun Fact 13: The blood that flows through the heart is controlled by four different valves that open and close. The names of the four valves are; the aortic valve - situated between the left ventricle and the aorta, the tricuspid valve - situated between the right atrium and the right ventricle, the mitral valve - situated between the left atrium and left ventricle and the pulmonary valve situated between the right ventricle and the pulmonary artery
Fun Fact 14: The name of the artery that carries the blood away from the heart to the lungs is the pulmonary artery. The pulmonary vein carries the blood from the lungs to the heart
Fun Fact 15: Illnesses including heart attacks, heart disease, raised blood pressure (hypertension) and heart failure are called cardiovascular diseases. It is estimated that around the world an estimated 27 million people have some form of cardiovascular disease |
