How the heart works

FACTS ON HOW THE HUMAN HEART WORKS

The heart is:

• one of the most important organs in the human body, it continuously pumping blood around the body through blood vessels
• located in your chest and is protected by your rib cage
• a fist sized muscular organ, it pumps about 2,000 gallons (7,600 litres) of blood, beating about 100.000 times
• made up of four chambers, the left atrium, right atrium, left ventricle and right ventricle.

Blood that leaves the heart is carried through arteries, the main artery leaving the left atrium is the aorta, the main artery leaving the right ventricle is the pulmonary artery.

TAKE A LOOK AT THE PICTURE OF THE HEART BELOW, CLICK ON THE LINK TO SEE HOW THE HEART WORKS.

[Note to Ben Hennessy: PIC of heart with trainers and headband] – Keep it healthy with plenty of healthy food and exercise. Children need at least 1 hour of physical activity every day, which should be a mix of walking and s running.