Understanding How Your Heart Works

Your heart is a muscle, about the size of a closed fist, which lies to the left of the centre of your chest. Your heart pumps blood, which contains oxygen and nutrients, to all body tissues.

The heart has four chambers. It is divided vertically by a wall, called the septum, into the right and left sides. It is also divided horizontally, with the atria on the top and ventricles on the bottom. The chambers of the heart are separated by valves to prevent the backward flow of blood. The heart has its own blood vessels, called coronary arteries, which run along the outside of the heart muscle. The coronary arteries supply blood to the heart.

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