C. S. Mott Children's Hospital

University of Michigan Health System

My Heart is a Pump?

Yep, it's true, your heart really is a pump and it is about as big as your fist. It's made out of a strong muscle that squeezes together to make your heart beat. Here is how it works. Oh, by the way... this can be kind of hard to understand, so if you need help, ask an adult or look at the picture of the heart.

pump

Your pumping heart

When your heart beats, it pumps blood out of your heart through tubes called arteries. After the blood goes to your toes and your nose (and every other part of your body), it comes back to your heart through tubes called veins.

Chambers (or parts) of the heart

The heart has four parts called chambers. There are two chambers upstairs and two chambers downstairs. The parts (or chambers) upstairs are called the atria.

The parts (or chambers) downstairs are called the ventricles.

Valves (kind of like little doors)

There are also little doors called valves in your heart. The doors open and close while your heart pumps. Their job is to keep the blood moving in the right direction.

The different parts of your heart work together as a team. When your heart beats, the upstairs (atria) fills up with blood from your lungs – check them out in the picture. Next, the blood is pumped into the downstairs (ventricles) of the heart. Finally, the blood is pumped out of the heart to the rest of your body through the arteries.

Wow, your heart sure has a lot of work to do!