Cardiovascular disease is the leading cause of death in the United States for both men and women.  To help prevent future disease, it is important to learn about your heart and blood vessels and become an active participant in your care.

How the Heart Works

A healthy heart beats about 60 to 80 times per minute to pump blood throughout the body.  The right and left sides of the heart work together.

• Blood that is low in oxygen first enters the right upper chamber (right atrium) of the heart.
• The blood flows from the right atrium to the lower chamber (right ventricle) through the open tricuspid valve.
• Blood passes through a valve before leaving each chamber of the heart.
• There are four valves in your heart; valves make sure blood flows in only one direction through your heart.
• The blood then travels through the pulmonary artery to the lungs where oxygen is added.
• Oxygen-rich blood then returns to the left side of the heart.
• The blood flows from the left upper chamber (left atrium) to the lower chamber (left ventricle) through the open mitral valve.
• From the left ventricle, the blood is pumped into a network of arteries (blood vessels) which carry the blood throughout the body. With heart failure, the heart's pumping power is weaker than normal, causing less blood to move through the heart and to the body.  Less blood flow throughout the body causes certain symptoms, as described below.