Take charge of your heart health by finding out more about how your heart works, what can go wrong and why and where you can go to find more information to keep you well and living life to the fullest. 

• Your Heart
• Circulation
• What is cardiovascular disease?
• What is a heart attack?
• What is angina?
• What is chronic heart failure?
• Health Information Service

Your Heart
Your heart is a vital organ. It is a muscle about the size of your clenched fist and lies in the front and middle of your chest, behind and slightly to the left of your breastbone.

Your heart pumps blood to all parts of your body. The blood pumped by your heart provides your body with the oxygen and nourishment it needs to function. Waste products carried by the blood are removed from your body by the kidneys and lungs.

Did you know that your body contains around five litres of blood? All of which pass through your heart every minute or so. However, when necessary, such as during exercise, your heart can pump up to four times that amount per minute.

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Circulation
Your body has a network of blood vessels called 'arteries', 'veins' and 'capillaries', which carry the blood pumped by your heart. Your heart and these blood vessels make up your 'circulatory system'.

Arteries carry blood away from your heart. The largest artery in your body is called the ‘aorta’. It has branches that carry blood to your head, arms and legs, and organs in your chest and abdomen. The first branches of the aorta are the ‘coronary arteries’. These run back to the outside surface of your heart to form a network of smaller arteries that supply your heart muscle with oxygen and nutrients.

Smaller branch arteries feed into even smaller blood vessels called ‘capillaries’, which cannot be seen with the naked eye. Oxygen and nutrients pass into the body tissues from the capillaries, and then veins then carry blood back to your heart.

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What is cardiovascular disease?
Cardiovascular disease (CVD) is an umbrella term that refers to all heart and blood vessel diseases and conditions, such as stroke, high blood pressure, heart failure, peripheral vascular disease and deep vein thrombosis.

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What is a heart attack?
A heart attack occurs when an area of your heart muscle is seriously deprived of its blood supply. This usually happens when an area of plaque within a coronary artery cracks. Blood cells and other parts of the blood stick over the damaged area and form a clot that suddenly and completely blocks the blood flow to your heart muscle. As a result, the part of your heart muscle that is not getting enough blood starts to die.

With heart attack, every minute counts. Too many people lose their lives because they take too long to call Triple Zero (000)* for an ambulance.

Ambulance paramedics are trained to use special lifesaving equipment and to start early treatments for heart attack inside the ambulance.

The ambulance is the safest and fastest way to get you to hospital. It gets you medical attention straight away. Attempting to get to hospital quickly in a private vehicle can be dangerous for the occupants of your vehicle and other road users.

Getting to hospital quickly can reduce the damage to your heart muscle and increase your chance of survival.

If you experience the warning signs of heart attack, this is an emergency. Call Triple Zero (000)* and ask for an ambulance.

*If calling Triple Zero (000) doesn’t work on your mobile phone, try 112.

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What is angina?

Angina is temporary chest pain or discomfort that happens when part of your heart muscle is temporarily unable to get enough blood and oxygen to meet its needs. It usually happens during physical activity or extreme emotion and goes away after a few minutes of rest.

Angina is caused by plaque clogging your coronary arteries. It does not happen all of the time because the blood supply to your heart muscle, although reduced, is usually able to keep up with your heart’s demands.

Angina does not mean that your heart muscle is damaged, so it isn’t the same as a heart attack. Many people who have angina live to a healthy old age without having a heart attack. However, if you have angina, your risk of having a heart attack increases. If not treated, angina can interfere with an active lifestyle.

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What is chronic heart failure?
Chronic heart failure is an ongoing condition in which your heart muscle is weakened and can’t pump blood as well as it normally does. This may cause blood to 'dam u' behind your heart and fluid to collect in your lungs and other body tissues.

The most common causes of chronic heart failure include heart disease, previous heart attack, high blood pressure and cardiomyopathy.

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Heart health information service
The Heart Foundation knows dealing with heart disease is an issue that affects the daily lives of many Australians. That's why we offer a Health Information Service.

Every year the Heart Foundation's Health Information Service receives around 40,000 enquiries about issues such as heart disease, heart disease risk factors, nutrition and healthy eating, blood pressure and cholesterol, smoking cessation, physical activity and heart surgery. Our qualified health professionals are there to give you comprehensive, trusted information. You can even call to learn about the Heart Foundation’s community programs and request information booklets on any of these topics.
 
Remember, heart disease is largely preventable, so contact us today to find out what changes you can make now to improve your heart health.
 
Contact Us
• Call:  1300 36 27 87 (open business hours across Australia for the cost of a local call)
• Email: your question to us  health@heathfoundation.org.au

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