The heart works like a pump and beats 100,000 times a day. The heart has two sides, separated by an inner wall called the septum. The right side of the heart pumps blood to the lungs to pick up oxygen. The left side of the heart receives the oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body.
Our body and modern medicine are two amazing partners. To think that in today’s world a person can live without a heart … yes, without a heart. During February Heart Month and Valentine’s Week, I am sharing this beautiful story of Stan Larkin who lived 555 days without one of the most important organs in our bodies.
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Facts about the human heart (from livescience.com)
- A human heart is roughly the size of a large fist.
- The heart weighs between about 10 to 12 ounces (280 to 340 grams) in men and 8 to 10 ounces (230 to 280 grams) in women.
- The heart beats about 100,000 times per day (about 3 billion beats in a lifetime).
- An adult heart beats about 60 to 80 times per minute.
- Newborns’ hearts beat faster than adult hearts, about 70 to 190 beats per minute.
- The heart pumps about 6 quarts (5.7 liters) of blood throughout the body.
- The heart is located in the center of the chest, usually pointing slightly left.
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