How The Heart Works

Northern Ireland Chest Heart and Stroke

Your heart is a muscular pump about the size of your clenched fist and it circulates blood to every part of your body. The average heart beats 100,000 times a day.

The heart has a left and right side, and these two sides of the heart have separate functions. The right side of the heart collects blood low in oxygen from the body and pumps it to the lungs, where it picks up oxygen and releases carbon dioxide.

The left side of the heart then collects blood rich in oxygen coming from the lungs and pumps it to the body via the aorta and a series of arteries. Once the oxygen is delivered to the cells in your body, the blood flows back to the right side of the heart through a series of veins.

Like any muscle, your heart requires both blood and oxygen to work properly. The right and left coronary arteries carry blood to the heart muscle to ensure that it gets enough oxygen and other nutrients.