Dr Satyendra Kumar Misra explains why heart is such an interesting organ

Heart is an interesting organ

The heart is no ordinary pump. A pump as small as a fist pumps litres of blood non-stop. Like any pump, it has its own mechanics, valves, and even an electrical supply. Here are some of the interesting facts about the heart that would blow your mind.

The heart is an organ situated just slightly to the left of the breastbone in the middle of the chest between the two lungs. It is enclosed in a double-walled sac called the pericardium.[2]

The heart starts beating as early as 4 weeks after conception and it never stops! Every day it pumps seven and a half thousand litres of blood throughout the body, which amounts to millions of litres of blood in its lifetime. For an organ that weighs 300 grams and is no larger than a hefty fist, that is a lot of effort [1]

Here are some very interesting things about the heart that you probably did not know:

The heart can function without a brain, or a body provided it has an oxygen supply. It has its own electrical system known as ‘the cardiac conduction system that controls the beating of the heart.

• The heart pumps about 70 to 80 times every min.
• Like in mechanical pumps, there are valves in the heart, which stop the reverse flow of blood and hence the mixing of blood with oxygen and blood without oxygen.
• There are about 75 trillion cells in the body, and each of these has access to the blood pumped by the heart; but not the cornea of the eye, because it has no blood supply.
• The right side of your heart pumps blood into your lungs. The left side of your heart pumps blood back through your body.
• When you are at rest, it takes your blood just six seconds to go from your heart to your lungs and back, eight seconds to get from your heart to your brain and back, and sixteen seconds to get from your heart to your toes and back.
• The youngest person to have heart surgery was a minute-old baby. Although the surgery was successful, she will eventually require a heart transplant.
• The remains of a 3,500-year-old Egyptian mummy included the earliest documented instance of cardiac disease.
• Most heart attacks happen on Mondays.[3]
• The weight of a human heart is less than half Kg. But the typical male heart weighs about 50 grams more than a female heart does.
• The heart of a woman beats a little more quickly than that of a man.[4]
• The silphium plant, which was used as an early form of birth control, is generally supposed to have given rise to the famous heart shape that is used as a symbol of love.
• Your blood vessel network will reach more than 60,000 miles if you stretch it out. 
• Heart cells stop dividing, which means heart cancer is extremely rare.
• Laughter is beneficial to your heart. Your immune system gets a boost, and stress is reduced.

(Disclaimer: This article is for educational purposes only. Please consult a qualified doctor before taking any decisions regarding recommendations in the article or for more information.)

Reference:

Anatomy of a human heart, Michigan Medicine, February 27, 2019
Heart, National Geographic Newsletter
Is There a Better Time of Day to Have a Heart Attack?, Circulation Research-2010;106:430–431

Heart Facts, Temple Heart & Vascular Institute, February 10, 2021 

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