Baylor Scott y White Cottonwood Cardiología

Educación del paciente: sobre su corazón

La enfermedad cardíaca es la principal causa de muerte en los Estados Unidos. Casi 2,000 los estadounidenses mueren de enfermedades cardíacas cada día. Esa es una muerte cada 44 segundos. La buena noticia es que la tasa de mortalidad por enfermedades del corazón ha disminuido constantemente. Desafortunadamente, la enfermedad cardíaca todavía causa la muerte súbita y muchas personas mueren antes de llegar al hospital.

Your heart

The heart is a hollow, cone-shaped muscle located between the lungs and behind the sternum (breastbone). Two-thirds of the heart is located to the left of the midline of the body and 1/3 is to the right. The average weight of a female human heart is 9 ounces and a male’s heart is 10.5 ounces. The heart comprises less than 0.5 percent of the total body weight. The heart has three layers. The smooth, inside lining of the heart is called the endocardium. The middle layer of the heart muscle is called the myocardium. It is surrounded by a fluid-filled sac call the pericardium.

Chambers and valves

The heart is divided into four chambers:

• Right atrium (RA)
• Right ventricle (RV)
• Left atrium (LA)
• Left ventricle (LV)

Each chamber has a sort of one-way valve at its exit that prevents blood from flowing backwards. When each chamber contracts, the valve opens. When it is finished contracting, the valve closes so that blood does not flow backwards.

• The tricuspid valve is at the exit of the right atrium.
• The pulmonary valve is at the exit of the right ventricle.
• The mitral valve is at the exit of the left atrium.
• The aortic valve is at the exit of the left ventricle.

When the heart muscle contracts or beats (called systole), it pumps blood out of the heart. The heart contracts in two stages. In the first stage, the right and left atria contract at the same time, pumping blood to the right and left ventricles. Then the ventricles contract together to propel blood out of the heart. Then the heart muscle relaxes (called diastole) before the next heartbeat. This allows blood to fill up the heart again. The right and left sides of the heart have separate functions. The right side of the heart collects oxygen-poor blood 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 oxygen-rich blood from the lungs and pumps it to the body so that the cells throughout your body have the oxygen they need to function properly.

Patient education: Diet tips

Michael Rothkopf, MD, ofrece consejos dietéticos para mantener su corazón saludable.