the right side of the heart?

[n49]

the human heart is on the left side of the body. Is it the "right" side? Why is it on the left side? Oh, and please don't say it's becauseof evolution.

[Litchick]

It's not on either side -- it's in the center of your chest. It only feels like it's on the left because the main valve branches out more toward the left. Some other ABers smarter than me may be able to explain it better.

[Jennykins]

Its in the middle of your chest under your sternum.. Your sternum protects your heart... Neat hey!! JEN

[n49]

ok, but why are the main valve branches out more on the left? why couldn't it be mirrored?

[Jennykins]

Think of a motor of a car.. the moter is in the middle.. but each side has different tubes coming out of it.. some bringing in air.. some gass oil ex... Its a muscle pumping blood.. giving it oxygen.. bring it in and send it out... A vain here for this, and artory there for that... haha stuff like that ...

JEN

[Jennykins]

I just read what I wrote and It sounded weird.. Look up online a picture on a heart and how it works... Its very neat how a heart works..

Good luck!! jen

[smudge]

Here's a picture of inside the human body.

[turkey154]

The left side of your heart is larger because it pumps blood to the whole of your body, the right side of your heart only pumps blood the your lungs and back. that is why the left is larger because it has to have a larger muscle for it to pump more efficiently. but like this great people have said the heart is actually situated in the centre of your chest.

[smudge]

You are quite right turkey.

I've not long had a heart procedure done & had six tubes in my groins going up to my heart, (3 in each).

After 24 hours, the tubes were taken out. One of the veins in my left groin was plugged as it was the Arterial vein (main artery). I am told this will dissolve over the next three months.You can just imagine the amount of blood loss if they hadn't plugged it!!!!

[n49]

thank you all for the answers but maybe we will have to involve the evolution... hmm...

long long time ago evolution had to make a decision, and my question is: why did it chose "left"? Why isn't the heart symetric?

I know how the heart works, i know where it is situated in our bodies, but what i would like to know is: why is the heart like it is?

I hope someone can understand what i try to say : )

[campbellking]

Not sure why the heart is to the left. On a 'normal' X-ray, two thirds of the heart will be to the left of the sternum, and one third to the right. Some people have the rare condition of dextrocardia, where the situation is reversed, and two thirds of the heart is on the right side of the sternum.Patients are not always aware of this unless an X-ray is taken.

[peagreen]

i'm not sure what you are asking then - because i thought your questioned had been answered but i'll risk repeating myself to give you my medic version...the circulatory system is divided into two - the pulmonary (lungs) and the rest of the body basically. as you know, the lungs are much nearer the heart than say your toes, so the pressure required to push the blood there is less than it is to get to your toes... so the left side which supplies the rest of the body requires more power for a bigger muscle contraction, hence why your left side is in effect larger, however it is the walls itself which are larger rather than the actual atria/ventricles.

so in effect, if we start at the left side of your heart..the blood comes in from the lungs in the pulmonary artery which has been oxygenated so its ncie and juicy for your body..this leaves the left ventricle via the aorta and travels round the body till it reaches the vena cava (inferior and superior) which enter in the right atrium of the heart. this blood is now oxygenated so no use to your cells and muscles etc..so it requires reoxygenating... off it goes in the pulmonary vein to the lungs and the cycle starts all over again

the point i am trying to not so eloquently make is that if the heart was not like it is, out legs would probably slowly die from lack of blood/oxygen and that'd be pretty shoddy!

think of it like squeezing toothpaste out of tube, if you hold the tube right next to the brush, you don't need a lot of force to get to the brush... thats like the right side of the heart and the lungs..

if you hold the brush further away you need to apply more force to get to travel a greater distance..

poor analogy but i'm cleaning my teeth and its all i could come up with!

[peagreen]

made a typo there i meant when it comes back into the right side its deoxygenated!