The Chinese word for Heart is Xin. The Heart is one of the five Zang Fu. The Heart system is responsible for circulating blood and for providing a place for a person’s Shen to reside. The Heart system is partially responsible for emotionally stability and mental activities, and also has much to do with sleep and sleeping disorders. The tongue, blood vessels, and face are under the influence of the Heart. The Heart’s Fu organ “partner” is the Small Intestine. In Five-Elements theory, the Heart and Small Intestine are “fire” organs.
A four-chambered, muscular organ in humans that continuously pumps blood through the circulatory system.
The main organ in the body, which maintains the circulation of the blood around the body by its pumping action.
Muscular, roughly cone-shaped organ that pumps blood throughout the body. Lying behind the sternum between the lungs, it is about the size of a closed fist, about 12 centimeters (5 inches) long, 8 centimeters (3 inches) wide at its broadest upper part, and about 6 centimeters (2¼ inches) thick and weighs about 275-345 grams (10-12 ounces) in males, 225-275 grams (8-10 ounces) in females. Under the outer epicardium membranes, the heart wall—myocardium—consists of cardiac muscle; the innermost layer—the endocardium—is continuous with the lining of the blood vessels. The heart is divided into left and right sides by a septum; each side has an upper atrium (auricle) and lower ventricle. Through coordinated nerve impulses and muscular contractions, initiated in the sinoatrial node of the right atrium, the heart pumps blood throughout the body. Deoxygenated blood, carried to the heart by the vena cava, flows into the right atrium and passes into the right ventricle, from which it flows through pulmonary arteries to the lungs, where it gives up its wastes and becomes freshly oxygenated. The oxygenated blood then passes through the pulmonary veins into the left atrium and from there into the left ventricle. From the left ventricle it is pumped throughout the body via the aorta and its many branches. The heart normally beats about 70 times per minute. It is nourished by coronary blood vessels.
The hollow muscular organ responsible for acting as a pump for the circulation of blood.
The hollow, muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body. Lying in the chest midway between the sternum (breastbone) and the spine, the heart sits slightly left of center. At each beat its tip strikes the inner surface of the chest wall, sometimes producing visible movement and allowing it to be felt by hand. In an adult, the heart is a little larger than a clenched fist, weighing about 1 pound.
A hollow muscular cone-shaped organ, lying between the lungs, with the pointed end (apex) directed downward, forward, and to the left. The heart is about the size of a closed fist. Its wall consists largely of cardiac muscle (myocardium), lined and surrounded by membranes. It is divided by a septum into separate right and left halves, each of which is divided into an upper atrium and a lower ventricle. Deoxygenated blood from the venae cavae passes through the right atrium to the right ventricle. This contracts and pumps blood to the lungs via the ‘pulmonary artery. The newly oxygenated blood returns to the left atrium via the pulmonary veins and passes through to the left ventricle. This forcefully contracts, pumping blood out to the body via the aorta. The direction of blood flow within the heart is controlled by valves.
A hollow muscular pump with four cavities, each provided at its outlet with a valve, whose function is to maintain the circulation of the blood. The two upper cavities are known as atria, and the two lower ones as ventricles. The term auricle is applied to the ear-shaped tip of the atrium on each side.
A hollow, muscular organ, the pump of the circulatory system. Its wall has three layers: the outer epicardium, a serous membrane; the middle myocardium, made of cardiac muscle; and the inner endocardium, endothelium that lines the chambers and covers the valves. The heart is enclosed in the pericardium, a fibroserous sac; the potential space between the parietal pericardium and the epicardium is called the pericardial cavity, which contains serous fluid to prevent friction as the heart beats.
The organ that acts as a pump that pushes the blood through the body.
Muscular cone-shaped organ that keeps the blood moving within the circulatory system.
The muscular organ that pumps blood throughout the body.
Hearts are an economical and flavorful ingredient that is often overlooked in cooking. They can be used to make a variety of dishes that are both tasty and affordable.
The heart, a muscular organ located in the middle of the chest, functions as a consistent and rhythmic pump, circulating blood to the lungs and the rest of the body. Throughout an average lifespan, the heart contracts over 2.5 billion times.
A large part of the heart is composed of myocardium, a special type of muscle. This muscle contracts in a rhythmic, automatic manner, given the presence of oxygen and nutrients, and doesn’t require any additional stimuli. The heart’s interior surface is covered by a smooth membrane known as the endocardium. The entire heart is encased in a durable, membrane-like sac called the pericardium.
The heart contains four internal compartments or chambers. A thick muscular divider, known as the septum, bisects the heart into the right and left sections. Each section is comprised of an upper compartment called an atrium (with the plural being atria), and a larger, lower compartment referred to as a ventricle.
The heart is connected to the body’s major blood vessels which extend from its top and sides. The superior and inferior venae cavae, the body’s largest veins, transport oxygen-depleted blood from the body back to the heart. The aorta, the primary artery, carries oxygen-enriched blood from the heart to be distributed throughout the body. The pulmonary vessels are responsible for shuttling blood to and from the lungs. It is in the lungs where the blood acquires oxygen and expels carbon dioxide, a waste product.
The two halves of the heart perform unique yet interconnected roles. The right atrium gathers oxygen-poor blood from the whole body through the two venae cavae. This blood is then transferred to the right ventricle, which pumps it to the lungs through the pulmonary artery for oxygenation and carbon dioxide removal. The left atrium receives the oxygenated blood from the lungs (through the pulmonary veins); this blood is then transferred to the left ventricle and pumped throughout the body’s tissues. One-way valves at the exit points of these chambers ensure that blood flows in a single direction.
The heart’s pumping mechanism comprises three stages, collectively forming a cycle that corresponds to a single heartbeat. These stages are known as diastole, atrial systole, and ventricular systole. During diastole, the heart muscle relaxes, allowing the heart to fill with blood. Atrial systole follows, during which the atria contract, pushing blood into the ventricles. Finally, during ventricular systole, the ventricles contract, propelling the blood into the circulatory system.
For the heart to operate effectively, the muscle contractions must take place in an exact order. This sequence is controlled by electrical signals originating from the sinoatrial node, a specialized muscle area situated at the top of the right atrium, serving as the heart’s inherent pacemaker. These electrical signals are transmitted to the atria and ventricles partly through the heart muscle itself and partly via nerve fibers.
To avoid congestion in the blood circulation, the volumes pumped by the two sides of the heart with each beat must be perfectly balanced. The resistance to blood flow through the body’s general circulation is significantly higher than through the lungs. Consequently, the left side of the heart must contract with more force than the right side, explaining why the left side has a more substantial muscular mass.
The hollow muscular organ that maintains the circulation of the blood. It is divided into two halves by a septum, each half consisting of two chambers separated by valves. The two upper chambers are called atria while the two lower chambers are called ventricles. Blood from all over the body enters the right atrium and passes into the right ventricle, which pumps the blood into the lungs to be oxygenated. From the lungs the oxygenated blood passes into the left atrium and then into left ventricle. The left ventricle then contracts, forcing the oxygenated blood into the aorta, which distributes it throughout the body. In the unborn baby the lungs are not in use and the blood is oxygenated by the mother. The baby’s blood passes from the right side of the heart to the left through a hole in the septum, thus bypassing the nonactive lungs. At birth, with the baby’s first cry, this hole in the septum snaps shut and the lungs inflate. Sometimes, however, the hole persists, leading to a form of congenital heart disease which is now amenable to surgery. The heart muscle is nourished not by the blood in its chambers but by two arteries that arise from the aorta as it leaves the right ventricle. These two arteries form a crown around the heart and are known as coronary arteries. If one of these clots up partly or completely, the condition is known as coronary thrombosis. The wave of contraction in the heart is rhythmical and is controlled by nerve paths which initiate the contraction from atrium to ventricle. The heart of a normal person beats 70 to 80 times a minute, though it is often less than this in trained athletes. The rate is increased by excitement, exercise, and fever, and slowed by diphtheria and some heart diseases.