The heart is a muscular pump having four chambers. Two chambers are on the right side and two chambers are on the left side of your heart. The right side collects blood low in oxygen from your body and pumps it to your lungs. In your lungs, new oxygen is replaced in the blood. From the lungs the blood is returned to the left side of your hear. It is then pumped out to the rest of the body and the cycle continues.
As blood passes from chamber to chamber it passes through a valve. A valve works like a door, opening and closing when appropriate. You have four heart valves; aortic, mitral, tricuspid and pulmonic. Heart valves open and close to allow blood to enter or leave a heart chamber. Valves may be damaged by Rheumatic fever, aging or a person can be born with an abnormal valve.
Damaged valves may become scarred and narrowed. This may cause pressure to build up behind the valve making it difficult to get through. A damaged valve may also allow leakage of blood from one chamber to another which can be harmful.
The Coronary Arteries
To keep the heart pumping, it needs oxygen rich blood. The oxygen rich blood is supplied by the coronary arteries. When the coronary arteries are healthy, blood flows through them easily. Coronary heart disease, the gradual build up of fatty substances in the arteries that supply the heart muscle with blood can cause angina or a heart attack.
The Heart's electrical system
The electrical system of the heart is the power source to keep it pumping. Signals from the heart's electrical system set the heart rhythm.
Sometimes the signals are not sent, are blocked or take a detour leading to a slow heart rhythm (bradycardia).
Sometimes problems with the signals lead to a fast heart rhythm (tachycardia) or signals may be sent so rapidly and irregularly that the heart muscle quivers and doesn't beat at all (fibrillation).
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